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  1. #1
    Sophomore jhelmes37's Avatar
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    Is This The Best X Team Ever?

    Yes, it's early.

    Yes, a lot has yet to be decided.

    And yes, I may get flamed for this............

    But the fact of the matter is, here we are 10 games into the season, and I'm starting to ask myself the question.........

    "Is this the best team Xavier has ever had?"

    I know, I know, it's stupid to ask such questions in early December before conference season has even started.

    You never know what's going to happen........

    Even some of our "best" teams have been on the bad side of the March Madness Magic.

    But this is a message board, and I'd love to hear what you think.

    Here are my "best teams ever", ranked as I see them fit.

    Best Team (although ultimately underachieved) 2015-2016 "The Wisconsin Heartbreak"

    Sure, it didn't quite pan out the way we wanted it to, but the 2015-2016 season was one for the record books.

    Jalen Reynolds, James Farr, Remy Abell, and a young Trevon and JP did their thing......

    Going undefeated through the non-conference schedule, and not losing until New Year's Eve, the team was unreal from start to finish.

    A 2-seed in the tournament.......well, we all know how it ended.

    A Close Runner-Up 2007-2008

    Yes, we ran into a buzzsaw with UCLA and its team full of NBA-ready talent.

    But an early season victory against a top ranked Indiana team showed us exactly what we were in store for.

    What a wild ride..............I think we all feel goosebumps when we hear "Do it, BJ, do it!"

    Whenever I hear the names Stanley Burrell, Josh Duncan, Drew Lavender, BJ Raymond, and Jason Love, it brings back the warm fuzzies.

    Third Place - The Flash In The Pan - 2009-2010

    In the pre-season, we all saw the YouTube video of Jordan Crawford dunking on LeBron.

    We knew we had something special in the works.

    But we still had no clue what was in store for us in the postseason.

    In what is likely remembered as the Greatest Postseason For A Xavier Player Ever, Jordan Crawford gave us a string of performances to remember.

    The double-overtime thriller against Kansas State is still, to this day, the ONLY time I've ever been okay with the way a season has ended.

    You could do nothing but tip your cap and say "great game, that was freaking awesome".

    The Derrick Brown Overstep - 2008 - 2009

    With the thrill of the Elite 8 behind us, we set off for a repeat performance.

    From Day One, I thought that our team wasn't quite as flashy as the previous year's team, but we had a better TEAM and we had a better chance of winning games than we did the year before.

    If it wasn't for one Derrick Brown misplaced toe, and a crazy last second shot by Levance Fields, who knows what may have been.......

    Runners Up

    The Run (2003 - 2004) - yes, it was possibly the most fun we've ever seen, but the actual TEAM wasn't all too amazing. You can tell me I'm full of shit if you wish, but we simply caught lightning in a bottle.

    Fun? Oh hell yeah.

    Put us on the map? You'd better believe it.

    Best team? Not really.......

    The Disappointment (2002 - 2003) - David West's Senior Campaign was ruined by Maryland in the second round.

    The Castration (2011 - 2012) - What could have been one of our best years ever was "just another Sweet 16" after the Reflection Session was finally forgotten. (Zip 'Em Up!)

    ------------------

    Okay, the question remains...............where do you rank THIS year's team?

    It's too early to definitively decide, but we may be on the cusp of something truly special.

    Discuss.

  2. #2
    Junior XMuskieFTW's Avatar
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    Easily our best team.

  3. #3
    Walk-On xdude's Avatar
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    Even at this early juncture, I would agree that this is likely the most talent ever to wear a Xavier uniform. Whether this is our best team ever will be decided in March. But man, these dudes are fun to watch!

  4. #4
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    I think it’s certainly possible it’s the best team yet. No question, the offense appears to be best ever. Can they win when the offense isn’t on is my biggest question.

    The 2015 team will be tough to beat. Obviously, a tough ending. But, they got all the way to #5, a 2 seed and ran through the #1, and eventual national champions, Villanova. Hell of a regular season.

    The 08 is still my favorite. Was the first team I legitimately thought Xavier could win a National Championship with.


    I want to see how this team plays against Nova. I’m not sure they have beaten a top 20 team yet (if I had to bet I’d say UC ends season right around 20, though)
    Last edited by Xavier; 12-10-2017 at 07:49 PM.

  5. #5
    Supporting Member XUGRAD80's Avatar
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    Possibly,

    I know that ASU is REALLY good, but they did beat X pretty easily, so you still have to take that into account. X has beaten a couple of teams that are pretty highly thought of right now....Baylor and UC.....and another that was expected to be pretty good, and isn't.....Wisconsin.....and some we know aren't real good. But, even if they don't lose another non-conference game, we still don't know what we have until they get into the meat of the BE schedule, and we see what happens in the post season.

    Kind of like judging a movie after the 1st 15-20 minutes, or a baseball game after the 2nd inning. Gonna have to wait and see what happens, but so far the returns are pretty promising.

  6. #6
    Can someone who clearly remembers the 02-03 season explain to me why that team is seemingly overlooked on this board? DWest as a senior, Sato and Chalmers Jr backcourt.. yes I know it was an unfortunate ending, but on paper that looks like as good a team X has ever put out

  7. #7
    Supporting Member GoMuskies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xufan2020 View Post
    Can someone who clearly remembers the 02-03 season explain to me why that team is seemingly overlooked on this board? DWest as a senior, Sato and Chalmers Jr backcourt.. yes I know it was an unfortunate ending, but on paper that looks like as good a team X has ever put out
    I think out teams from the A-10 era needed to have Tournament success to earn their cred. We obviously give more weight to the regular season now that we're in the Big East.

  8. #8
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    Ever since the ASU game X has played smothering D like there are 6 of them on the floor. It has forced lots of turnovers which have led to layups and wide open shots. It has shell shocked opponents. By the time they recover we're up 20 and it becomes a game of just maintain a safe lead. Best ever, could be. I think revenge is driving this team, so Villanova beware.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by xufan2020 View Post
    Can someone who clearly remembers the 02-03 season explain to me why that team is seemingly overlooked on this board? DWest as a senior, Sato and Chalmers Jr backcourt.. yes I know it was an unfortunate ending, but on paper that looks like as good a team X has ever put out
    That team is overlooked because of the loss to Maryland. Maryland didn't have a great record and they took it right at us and we folded - game wasn't close. They also lost in the A-10 tourney to Temple who we beat by 30 a week or so earlier. They just seemed to peak too early and fall off. I think we won close at UD and then went into a funk to end the year. I remember thinking that if we can't get to the Sweet 16 with David West, will we ever get there again. Luckily things have worked out great!

  10. #10
    Senior X Factor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoMuskies View Post
    I think out teams from the A-10 era needed to have Tournament success to earn their cred. We obviously give more weight to the regular season now that we're in the Big East.
    The A10 was a lot better back then than it is now though. Hell, in 03'-'04, St. Joe's was the #1 team in the country for most of the year, and was a hair away from making the Final Four.

    I do agree that you have to give more weight to the regular season with the gauntlet X has to face in the Big East.

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