Can X make the FF???

[Xavier2005]

The X fans will always say of course X can make the FF. Look how close X has been to the FF by being in the Elite 8!!??!! There are schools that have been in the FF many many times, of course. And many more teams that have NEVER been to the FF!!! Some of the schools that have been to the FF once or twice: CCNY(2), Dartmouth(2), Holy Cross(2), Loyola Chicago(2)....one and done,Charlotte, Drake,Dayton, Duquesne, George Mason, Rutgers, Santa Clara, St Bonaventure. Not the elites of college basketball, but they have been to the FF. (then you have our city rival Cincinnati/6 times...ouch! ) Cannot just keep re building with new coaches, maybe? What will it take to make the FF..luck?

[skyhops]

Dayton was in the final four in the 60’s which doesn’t count.

[Xavier2005]

then X in 1958 means nothing?? lol

[Xavier2005]

i know 1958 was NIT , but the NIT was king in the 50s ,not the NCAA. The NCAA became king in the 60s due to Jerry Lucas and The OSU and Cincinnati playing each other ..then.

[xu koop scoop]

By the late 50s the NCAA was king. Guys like Bill Russell at San Francisco helped make it that way. As XU fans we fail to appreciate the NIT Championship in 1958, which was during the turning point of NCAA becoming king. As far as Dayton, they not only made the Final Four in the 1960s, but made it the Finals before losing to UCLA.

[xu koop scoop]

Let's say we make a 4th Elite 8 and lose again - I will take that over 1 Final 4 with no elite 8's.

[harryfe]

All but 2 teams of the current Big East have been in the Final Four...X and Creighton . For 20+ years X has been an elite program. Very disappointed. Last year was the most likely. But now must rebuild

[harryfe]

Let's say we make a 4th Elite 8 and lose again - I will take that over 1 Final 4 with no elite 8's.

How can you make a Final Four and make “no elite 8’s”?

[kyzrex]

All but 2 teams of the current Big East have been in the Final Four...X and Creighton . For 20+ years X has been an elite program. Very disappointed. Last year was the most likely. But now must rebuild

X doesn’t rebuild, they reload!

I also wouldn’t say that X has been “elite” for 20+ years. Very good, yes. Elite, no. At least not on a national basis. One of the best in their leagues, yes. One of the top private schools, yes. But a national elite, no. This is not to slight them in any way. But “elite” schools in my mind recruit and land top 25 players and McDonald’s All-Americans consistently, play in made for TV matchups on national TV every year, contend for national championships year in and year out, and don’t lose their coaches to other, bigger schools. X is not elite, unless you think that being a pretty consistent sweet 16 and top 25 team means that a team is elite. I don’t.

I want nothing more than for X to be a F4 team. I would give almost anything for that to happen. I am disappointed that it hasn’t already happened. But I haven’t given up on the dream. I don’t want X to be like a George Mason that makes it one time and then disappears. I want X to be a consistent threat to do it every year. I still think that they have it in them to do this.

[Jesseandrippers]

Let's say we make a 4th Elite 8 and lose again - I will take that over 1 Final 4 with no elite 8's.

How can you make a Final Four and make “no elite 8’s”?

Funny, I had the same thought. Maybe we use our “Skip Card” like in Uno.

In all seriousness, I dont think I would trade 4 elite 8 appearances for a final four. I National championship on the other hand is a different discussion. However, we are not an elite program. We dont recruit multiple 5 star talents per year and again had nobody drafted in the NBA. We are an upper tier program that has a chance for the stars to align in any given year but we cannot expect to consistently make 8’s, 4’s or Finals unless we are that much better than schools at recruiting, retaining/developing or coaching/effort.

We do have a chance to make waves because we historically, except lately, have kept players into their Junior/Senior year who in some cases are better players than the 5* freshman teams. We just need a blend of the young talent and more seasoned players to have a shot. It will happen eventually if we keep putting the ball in play like we have.