For this basketball season, Xavier's second in Cintas Center, about the only thing that isn't new about the program is the arena. There's a new coach. A new sponsor (Nike). New uniforms, again. A new style of play. No Midnight Madness.

        That last wrinkle could seem strange, as XU will stage its “Musketeer Madness” festivities at 7p.m. Oct.19. — most DivisionI schools will have events tonight. When asked at speaking engagements this summer about the change, new coach Thad Matta said, “I'm a lot more worried about March Madness than Midnight Madness.”

        That's what XU fans want to hear. Xavier exceeded 20 victories in seven of its past eight seasons but made the NCAA Tournament only four of those years, winning just one NCAA game. The Musketeers won just 16 of their last 31 games played in March, including 0-3 last season.

        Last year, his first as a head coach, Matta led Butler (24-8) on a 13-1 tear before an NCAA second-round loss to Arizona.

        “We're in a unique situation with the limited number of players (nine on scholarship) we have,” Matta said. “But yes, that is the goal of this team — to be playing our best basketball in January, February and March.”

        The Musketeers return three starters, including an unqualified star in center David West. They are rated 22nd nationally by Athlon, 23rd by CNNSI.com, 25th by Dick Vitale, 26th by The Sporting News and 40th by Blue Ribbon.

        In a survey of six preseason publications, five have XU in the NCAA Tournament.

        Some key questions:

        What's the status of Will Caudle?

The freshman forward has been declared a partial qualifier by the NCAA, leaving him ineligible this season pending an appeal. Caudle's loss could be critical, leaving redshirt freshman Anthony Coleman as the only scholarship player to back up starters West and Kevin Frey in the post. How did the roster shrink?

Khalil Nixon and Lloyd Price left school, and Brandon McIntosh graduated early and declined to use his final year of eligibility. Junior-college forward Mike Hayes reneged on a verbal commitment. Then Caudle was ruled ineligible.

        What's the probable starting lineup?

West at center, Frey at power forward, Romain Sato at shooting guard and Lionel Chalmers at the point. Dave Young would seem the favorite to start at small forward unless freshman Keith Jackson can beat him out.

        What is Matta's style of play?

He preferred patient half-court execution at Butler but could emphasize the speed he inherits here.

        “We're a team that should be able to get out and go a bit offensively,” he said. “But our main goal is to be a team that's very hard to score against.”

        How deep will the rotation be?

Matta had eight players averaging 10 or more minutes last year, so probably every scholarship player will get a chance to play. Even with a short bench, Matta probably won't resort to the six- or seven-man rotations former coach Skip Prosser favored. Who's the key player?

Frey. The fourth-year starter is slowly rehabilitating from surgery performed July 16 on his left ankle, in which bone spurs had bothered him each of the past two seasons. XU needs a full, healthy season from him.

        And it needs consistent pro duction. The past two seasons, XU is 26-1 when Frey scores 12 or more points, 17-18 when he doesn't. What impact will the newcomers make?

Athlon tabs Jackson the Atlantic 10's top newcomer, and Jaison Williams should be a top backcourt reserve. But Coleman's rookie season seems most critical.

        How's the schedule?

Tough enough, with seven games against 2001 NCAA tourney teams and six against NIT teams. XU plays host to Wisconsin (Dec.10) and Cincinnati (Dec.14) in the same week.

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