Xavier tops a competitive West Region in the NCAA tournament

The Xavier Musketeers got within one win of the Final Four last season and look to improve on that, this time as a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the 2018 NCAA tournament.

Xavier finished atop a revitalized Big East during the regular season and with 28 wins are just two shy of the school record set in 2008. Three starters return from the 2016-17 squad that made a Cinderella run to the regional final as a No. 11 seed, falling to Gonzaga.

A pair of big senior guards lead the way for the Musketeers, with 6’7 Trevon Bluiett leading the team in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (5.7) while shooting 42 percent from three-point land and 86 percent from the free-throw line. His backcourt mate J.P. Macura is 6’6 and averages 12.2 points, making them a matchup problem for most teams.

Xavier is one of two Big East teams to earn No. 1 seeds this season, along with Villanova, the top cats in the East Region. Villanova won the Big East Conference tournament after Xavier was upset in the semifinals. The Musketeers enter the tournament ranked fourth overall in the 68-team field.

The Musketeers open things up on Friday in Nashville, facing the winner of the First Four game between No. 16-seed hopefuls NC Central Eagles and Texas Southern Tigers.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the defending national champions and the No. 2 seed out West. A late-season slump dropped the Tar Heels to the No. 6 seed in the ACC tournament, but UNC blazed into the conference title game thanks to wins over lower seeds Miami and Duke. Junior forward Luke Maye averages a double-double, and combines with senior guard Joel Berry II to average 34 points per game.

Michigan earned the No. 3 seed after winning the Big Ten tournament, and enter March Madness on a nine-game winning streak. Big man Mortiz Wagner (14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds per game) and the Wolverines start their tournament against No. 14 Montana on Thursday in Wichita.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs earning the No. 4 seed gives the West Region both teams from last year’s national championship game. For the 17th time in 18 seasons, Gonzaga finished first in the West Coast Conference, and won the conference tournament title for the sixth straight year and 16th time in the last 20 seasons. The Bulldogs have a well-balanced attack with five players scoring in double digits, led by senior forward Johnathan Williams and his 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Houston Cougars were a force to be reckoned with in the American Athletic Conference, finishing second to Cincinnati in both the regular season and in the conference tournament final. Houston got a No. 6 seed in the West Region and opens against San Diego State on Thursday in Wichita.

Though this is just their first NCAA tournament appearance in eight years, the Cougars are built to win with an experienced team led by seniors Rob Gray (18.6 points, 4.6 assists) and Devin Davis (10.7 points, 6.2 rebounds) and junior Corey Davis Jr. (13.5 points, 43.7 percent from distance).

Providence is only a No. 10 seed, but is coming off a run to the Big East tournament final that saw them play three overtime games in three nights. If they aren’t exhausted, Providence will give No. 7 Texas A&M all they can handle in the first round before a potential matchup in Charlotte with UNC.

All times are ET

Thursday, March 15

No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro (Boise, ID), 1:30 p.m. (TNT)
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (Boise, ID), ~4 p.m. (TNT)
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego State (Wichita, KS), 7:20 p.m. (TBS)
No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Montana (Wichita, KS), ~9:50 p.m. (TBS)

Friday, March 16

No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Providence (Charlotte, NC), 12:15 p.m. (CBS)
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Lipscomb (Charlotte, NC), ~2:45 p.m. (CBS)
No. 1 Xavier vs. No. 16 NC Central/Texas Southern (Nashville, TN), 7:20 p.m. (TBS)
No. 8 Missouri vs. No. 9 Florida State (Nashville, TN), ~9:50 p.m. (TBS)