FanHouse Atlantic 10

Conference: Atlantic 10
Record: 24-8, 13-3 in conference
RPI: 33
How They Got In: At-Large
Seed/Bracket: 9/West (San Antonio)

Mascot: Musketeers. His name, surprise, surprise is D'Artagnan. The Musketeer is supposed to be "strong ties with French origins and culture." As if that isn't enough to create some hostile feelings, they have a muppet reject as a secondary mascot called Blue Bob.

Big Wins: Xavier topped Illinois, Kansas State, VCU and Villanova.

Notable Loss: Losing the Crosstown Shootout to Cinci -- especially this year was embarrassing.

Player You Should Know: Justin Doellman was a first team All-A-10 and Stanley Burrell was second team. The player to know, however, is junior point guard Drew Lavender, who transferred from Oklahoma. He dishes the ball for the team and is the guy who shoots the 3s. Lavender shoots nearly 46% on 3s, and in the NCAA Tournament, that will matter in how far Xavier can advance.

Outlook: They are fully capable of getting into the Sweet 16. They are a good shooting team that looks for the best shot available. The Musketeers can shoot from outside and drive to the basket. They can be beaten by teams with more inside muscle, and if Lavender or Burrell have a bad shooting game, they will go right out of the Tournament in the first game. They have balanced scoring, but aren't good enough to survive an NCAA game without everyone playing well.

Conference: Atlantic 10
Record: 23-8, 11-5 in conference
RPI: 74
How They Got In: Won the A-10 Conference Tournament over Rhode Island 78-69.
Seed/Bracket: 11/East (East Rutherford)

Mascot: Colonials. Kind of self-explanatory when your school is named after the General of the Colonial Army -- which happens to be the name of the GW student fan group for the basketball team.

Big Win: They knocked off Virginia Tech 63-62.

Notable Loss: Took a 19 point beating at the hands of Providence.

Player You Should Know: Maureece Rice was a third team All-A-10 and the MVP of the A-10 Tournament (PDF), but the guy to keep an eye on is Senior Guard Carl Elliot. He is the top assist guy for them, second in scoring, and a solid rebounder. He is also an excellent defender. He does what you want to see from a point guard. He makes the players on his team better.

Outlook: This is their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for GW. They have 3 seniors in the starting lineup. They won't be easily intimidated by an opponent. They are fully capable of a 1st round upset if they get a decent seed.

Bad news for some major conference bubble team, Xavier lost to Rhode Island in the semi-finals of the A-10 Tourney, 79-71. That means there will be two teams from the A-10 in the NCAA Tournament. It also means that UMass' chance at an at-large is up in smoke.

Xavier is almost certainly going to be an at-large selection. They have a 24-8 record, and beaten teams like Villanova, Kansas State and VCU. Their RPI is 27, and an 11-5 record against RPI Top-100 teams.

Teams that will be sweating even more than before: Florida State, West Virginia, Purdue, Stanford, Illinois, GT, Syracuse.

The Fundamentals:

Name: Xavier Musketeers
Conference: Atlantic 10
Last Year's Record: 21-11 (8-8)
This Year's Record: 18-7 (8-3)
This Year's Current RPI: 36
Mascot: His name is D'Artagnan, and he's French. In fact, from Xavier's official site, check this out:

"In naming the Musketeers, Father Finn was not only giving rebirth to a concept of chivalry that is among France's most treasured traditions, but he was also providing permanent recognition to Xavier's strong ties with French origins and culture."

The whole "freedom fries" fiasco must've been devastating to them.

Big Wins: Villanova (neutral site), Illinois (neutral site), at Kansas State.

Notable Losses: Okay losses: Alabama (neutral site), at Creighton. Bad losses: at Cincinnati, Bucknell at home, at Duquesne.

Player You Should Know: Point guard Drew Lavender. He's just fourth on the team in scoring, but he makes the team go. He's got a fantastic handle, and is a one-man press break. He can penetrate on almost anyone, and will routinely dish it off to the appropriate guy. His outside shooting stroke is nice, too, shooting almost 45% from three. He's only 5'7", but he's the kind of guy that can give unsuspecting teams fits in the NCAA tournament.

Outlook: Currently tied for the lead in the A-10, and could be in position to get into the NCAA tournament, even if they don't win the A-10 tourney. They're 4-2 against RPI Top 50 teams. Still, that's no guarantee ... most people don't see the Atlantic 10 as a two-bid conference. They play conference co-leader Rhode Island on February 21st. They need that one.

Previously on Embrace a Mid-Major:

Southern Illinois Salukis
Northern Iowa Panthers
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Drexel Dragons
Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Missouri State Bears