Gary,You were much milder than I expected.
As for the team, I thought their games against Temple and AZ ST were worse, really.
Just some things to note:
*The three seniors should have a special place in the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame for their contributions to the season. Stanley was right. This was the best ever Xavier team. If I had my way, there would be a special place for their jerseys, just the names not the numbers, in the Cintas rafters. Those three deserve induction into the X Hall right away. Why wait? And please, it certainly wouldn't cheapen the achievements of those already in the hall.
*I believe Sean was dead on right in what he said about going as far as Xavier could go considering the team they played today. That, my friends was not only a team worthy of a No. 1 seed, but many of those guys will move on to the NBA eventually, if not sooner. You realize that every tournament is seeded with the idea that the No.1s will meet in the finals and play each other for the national championship.
*I could not be more proud of this team from lofty senior to the last sub to the walk ons. I believe this year Xavier showed the SEC, the Big Ten and the Big East why the Musketeers were seeded No. 3. They also showed they weren't to be taken lightly.
There comes a time in every season, in every tournament when you play a team that is that much better than you are. Please let's not let our expectations get in the way of our affection and admiration, as well as our pride in this team.
*There is only one place for Xavier to go under Sean Miller and that's up. And really, there are only two more games to be won. But there is a time when realism and acceptance of limitations have to take the place of expectations. Today, sadly, was that time.
*I believe in Derrick Brown, B.J. Raymond, Dante Jackson and C.J. Anderson we have the nucleus of an excellent team next season. I also think we can expect more from Adrion and Charles.
*I don't believe we can expect the four freshmen and the transfers, other than Bronson, to make a big impact. It's one thing for Kenny Frease and Brad Redford, Walsh and Cheeks to carry a lot of hardware with them to the next level in their careers. It's another thing to demand that they live up to the assessments made of them by so-called recruiting experts who make their living pumping up the egos of high school players. Yes, these incoming recruits carry fine credentials. But they're also freshmen. And they will be expected to stay at Xavier, develop and more important, earn a college degree.
*Following Xavier was like opening a Christmas present during each game. Sometimes we were delighted with what we got. Other times it was, "Oh, thank you." The delights outnumbered the "Oh, thank yous" 30-7.
Finally, if you look back over the three games that led to the Elite eight berth, tell me you didn't delight in that first come-from-behind win over Georgia, and then the topping of Purdue who'll be even better next year. And if you didn't enjoy or delight in Byron's and Joe's call of B.J.s shots, if you didn't jump for joy when that clock showed 00.00 and a win over the Coiffed One and his West Virginia team, then you are just full of....