By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Xavier got what it expected Sunday night when the NCAA Tournament selection committee awarded the Musketeers (25-5) a No. 3 seed in the 65-team bracket.

"I thought we'd be right there in that range, a three, four," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

The Musketeers play 14th-seeded Troy State in the first round at 7:25 p.m. Friday in Nashville, Tenn., at Gaylord Entertainment Center. The Musketeers are in the South Region, where Texas is the No. 1 seed. Sixth-seeded Maryland and No. 11 North Carolina Wilmington are the other South teams playing in Nashville.

"I thought we'd be right there in that range, a three, four," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "The schedule we played non-conference and going into that Richmond game at 9-3, we got what we deserved."

Xavier had never been seeded higher than No. 6, which the Musketeers received in 1990 and 1998. Last season, Xavier was a No. 7 seed after posting an identical 25-5 regular-season record, but with fewer noteworthy wins.

Now, instead of being a team that could pull a potential upset in the tournament, the Musketeers are favored to advance at least to the Sweet 16.

"This is what we worked for," guard Lionel Chalmers said. "We worked last year to get to this point. This is what we want."

Xavier rode a 16-game winning streak into last Friday's Atlantic 10 semifinal against Temple and was sent home with a surprising 63-57 loss. The committee's placement of Xavier was evidence that its Atlantic 10 regular-season championship carried enough weight.

The other No. 3 seeds are Syracuse in the East, Marquette in the Midwest and Duke in the West. Dayton won the A-10 Tournament and earned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest, while Saint Joseph's earned a No. 7 seed out of the A-10 East Division.

"I put all our stock in the conference season," Matta said. "And going 15-1, and winning our last 15 games in the league in obviously a great league this year with what Saint Joe's and Dayton got says a lot about the league."

So-called bracketologists had Xavier pegged as a No. 3 seed for a few weeks when it became clear Xavier would win the A-10 regular season.

Xavier's David West reacts to questions during a press conference at the Cintas Center Sunday evening. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

"We're happy," David West said. "But like Coach said, we kind of figured we'd be right there. We took care of business early, and this is something to be proud of."

If Xavier gets by Troy State (26-5), the Musketeers would face either Maryland or UNC-Wilmington for a trip to the Sweet 16. Maryland finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference while UNCW won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Matta's not looking much past Troy State given that if Xavier loses, the season is over.

"As you get into the NCAA Tournament, it's a completely different set of circumstances now," Matta said. "When you lose, you're done."

The Musketeers have never advanced past the regional semifinals, reaching that round just once, in 1990. Xavier still has last year's tournament loss to Oklahoma on their minds.

"Experiencing the Oklahoma game last year, we know the intensity level that you have to play at if you want to move forward in the NCAA Tournament," West said. "The way they played ... is the reason they went to the Final Four."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com