Xavier on the Seed Line: March 12th

Last night's game did some damage to Xavier's seeding chances. There's just no away around that and no way to delay the news you're all inevitably looking for. Both ESPN and CBS moved Xavier down off the two line, while SBN just barely has them hanging on. A one seed is now not going to happen for the Musketeers this year. It was already most likely just a pipe dream, but it hinged on winning the Big East tournament and getting help. There is no amount of help left on the table that can make up for a loss to Seton Hall in the semifinal. Thankfully, I'm talking about the resume of a potential one seed here, not a bubble team.

That leaves Xavier fans looking for some help today. To start with, cheer for the chalk. That means cheering for Kansas to win the Big 12 championship. As an added bonus for Xavier fans, the Jayhawks are battling Bob Huggins, who is battling a Krispy Kreme buffet line. Should West Virginia win, they all but assure themselves a two seed and make one more team with a case to leapfrog X.

In the ACC North Carolina and Virginia face off. A win for fellow packline team Virginia is probably the best case here. UNC losing to a likely one seed won't hurt them much if at all, but it opens the door. Again, the lower seeded team, here the Tar Heels, winning just makes the committee see stronger resumes all around the Musketeers. The Pac 12 matters, too. Right now Oregon could be a two and Utah is looking like a strong three. It's possible a Utah win could knock Oregon back down to the three line without necessarily creating a situation where the teams just trade places. Last night's last semifinal out west ended at just after 245am, so if you're up that late, cheer for the Utes.

The Big Ten likely doesn't matter to Xavier fans. Indiana is out, so they aren't sneaking up to steal a spot. Michigan St., meanwhile, is comfortably ensconced above the Musketeers and likely will be even if they lose today. Purdue and Maryland shouldn't be able to get all the way up to the last two line that Xavier is shooting for even if they win the Big Ten title. In the American... I'm just kidding, the American is a mid-major. Just pick one of those plucky little underdogs to cheer for. For what it is worth, both UC and Dayton are probably in barring something genuinely unforeseen.

If time allows and circumstances merit, I'll be back tomorrow with a final update. For now, Xavier is clinging to the bottom two seed or in firmly as a three seed. There's a lot of basketball left to be played.