Louisville-Xavier Preview
March 17, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2004
From the Associated Press
GAME: No. 10 Louisville (20-9) vs. No. 7 Xavier (23-10).
REGIONAL: Atlanta, First Round.
TIME: Friday, 9:40 p.m. EST.
SITE: TD Waterhouse Centre; Orlando, Fla.
Although it took a good part of the regular season, Xavier found its groove in time to knock off the nation's lone remaining unbeaten team and capture an Atlantic-10 tournament title.
Now, the Musketeers will try to carry their late-season momentum into the NCAA tournament as they take on an embattled Louisville team coming in under much different circumstances.
Stuck with a 10-9 mark just over six weeks ago, the Musketeers hardly seemed poised to make a serious run in their own conference, much less at a bid to the NCAAs. But after a 13-1 finish capped by a victory over then-No. 1 Saint Joseph's in last week's conference tourney, Xavier cruised to the conference championship by beating Dayton 58-49 in Saturday's title game.
"Our backs were against the wall. There was nothing to do but play up to our ability," Xavier center Anthony Myles said. "I think we did."
The Musketeers did more than that, winning six straight entering the NCAA tournament, making them one of the hottest and most dangerous teams in the nation.
"The key for us in all of our games is that we have guys who are making big shots and stepping up when they need to," Musketeers guard Lionel Chalmers said. "What it comes down to is, that's why it's called a team."
Louisville looked like a serious national title contender earlier this season, running off 16 straight wins from Dec. 4-Jan. 28. However, Louisville has since fallen on hard times, winning just four of its last 12 games.
The Cardinals were bounced from the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament by eventual champion Cincinnati last week, suffering a 64-62 loss - their third defeat of two points or fewer in the season's final three weeks.
The Musketeers began to take off just as the Cardinals were beginning their skid. Xavier coach Thad Matta is just hoping Louisville doesn't begin to turn things around against his team.
"There's no doubt Louisville is a great basketball team," Matta said. "Any team that has gone through what they've gone through with injuries is going to have some ups and downs.
"But at one point, they had 16 straight wins and they went into Rupp and beat Kentucky. Really, I think they're about as talented a team as we've seen this year. It's going to be an all-out war."
Francisco Garcia, the Cardinals' leading scorer, lost his younger brother in a shooting in New York early in the season. He believes Louisville can wipe away the memory of a disappointing end to the regular season during the next few weeks.
"We're going to the NCAA tournament, and this year we know what it's about," Garcia said. "Last year none of us had been. This year we've had some tough times, but we're going to hold up our heads and play to win."
Louisville leads the series with Xavier 25-16.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Louisville - F Garcia (16.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.6 apg), F Otis George (5.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), C Kendall Dartez (5.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Taquan Dean (10.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 apg), G Alhaji Mohammed (4.7 ppg). Xavier - F Justin Cage (4.8 ppg, 2.5 apg), F Justin Doellman (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Anthony Myles (10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), G Chalmers (16.0 ppg, 3.1 apg), G Romain Sato (16.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.3 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Louisville - At-large berth. Xavier - Automatic bid, Atlantic-10 champions.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Louisville - 49-32, 30 years. Xavier - 8-15, 15 years.
