By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The chance to knock off the No.1 team doesn't happen too often. But that's what No. 19 Xavier (9-2) hopes to do today when it plays top-ranked Alabama (9-1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (5 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio).

The Tide are headed for a drop in the rankings, no matter what happens, because they lost Monday to Utah. But that doesn't diminish the opportunity for the Musketeers, who will be playing without starting guard Lionel Chalmers (broken foot).

XU is 2-1 against No. 1-ranked teams in its last three tries, having defeated Cincinnati in November 1996 and December 1999 and losing to Massachusetts in overtime in February 1996.

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried realizes he has something special in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and it's exactly what he expected when he took the job five years ago.

Gottfried planned long-term in 1998, rather than opting for a quick fix by bringing in junior-college talent that could win right away but would be gone in a year or two.

The Crimson Tide didn't win more than 17 games in any of Gottfried's first three seasons, but he established the foundation for a program that won 25 and 27 games, respectively, the last two seasons.

On that basis, losing the top ranking is fine with Gottfried.

"I don't think our players felt like we deserved to be ranked No.1," Gottfried said. "We hadn't done anything to get there. Let's say one month from now, maybe we will have done something to deserve it. It was just kind of given to us at this point in the season."

Still, seniors Erwin Dudley, Kenny Walker and Terrance Meade take pride in the ranking. Along with Rod Grizzard, an early departee for the NBA, Dudley, Walker and Meade made up Gottfried's first high-profile recruiting class in 1999. Alabama won 13 games that season, the fewest under Gottfried.

Three years later, Dudley has turned himself into an inside force who averaged 15.2 points and 8.9 rebounds last season, earning him Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors and helping the Crimson Tide win the SEC regular-season title.

Dudley quietly dominates the post with his 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame and shoots high-percentage shots.

"There's nothing about Erwin that is Hollywood flashy," Gottfried said. "He's a worker every day in practice. Things that should be important are important to him, like graduating and being on a winning team rather than having individual success."

Sophomore guard Mo Williams' emergence as a scoring threat gives Alabama a legitimate shot at the Final Four. Williams is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year, but he really turned heads with his 33-point game in an NCAA Tournament first-round win over Florida Atlantic.

"In high school, he was always a scorer," Gottfried said. "This guy is my best (scorer) out there. He has such a competitive nature and a true desire to be great."

Williams' offensive growth was the only thing worth remembering from Alabama's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. The second-seeded Crimson Tide fell to Kent State 71-58 in the second round, which didn't sit well with fans, said Gottfried, a 1987 Alabama graduate.

"We wanted to go further," Gottfried said, "but people didn't realize how good Kent State was. Give them credit. They beat Pittsburgh, and they should have beaten Indiana (in the regional final). But to our fans, they are always just going to be Kent State from the (Mid-American Conference)."

Gottfried said fans might be a little harder on him because he is coaching at his alma mater, something he talked about with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden when Gottfried was a Bruins assistant from 1987-95.

"He told me that when you're coaching at your alma mater, the fans' expectations will become higher," Gottfried said. "The fans want you to do well, because they are for you."

Most Alabama fans know full well what Xavier (9-2) brings in All-American David West and All-American candidate Romain Sato. But without Chalmers, who is out for at least four weeks, the Musketeers are down to 10 available players, including three walk-ons.

"It's going to have to be a total team effort from us," said XU backup center Will Caudle. "We have to do all the little things now, like diving on the floor and backing each other up. We have a lot of talent left, and we have to instill ourselves with the confidence to come out and have a big game."

Gottfried expects that from Xavier, which should be Alabama's toughest home opponent during the nonconference schedule. The Musketeers probably will play zone defense to reduce fatigue and force the Crimson Tide into outside shots. Reserve guard Antoine Pettway is Alabama's only 3-point threat, shooting 44 percent from behind the arc.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

XAVIER

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Keith Jackson	So.	6-5	4.3
Romain Sato	Jr.	6-5	15.3
Dedrick Finn	Fr.	6-1	5.0
David West	Sr.	6-9	19.7
Anthony Myles	Jr.	6-9	8.2

Coach: Thad Matta (35-8, second season; 59-16 overall).

ALABAMA

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Erwin Dudley	Sr.	6-8	13.5
Emmett Thomas	Jr.	6-4	5.9
Kenny Walker	Sr.	6-9	14.0
Terrance Meade	Sr.	6-2	6.2
Mo Williams	So.	6-1	16.3

Coach: Mark Gottfried (91-50, fifth season; 160-75 overall).