One shining moment
This wasn't just the moment of the game, but the moment of the entire day of basketball at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando. With 7 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in regulation, Xavier, after once trailing Louisville by 14 points, had cut the Cardinals' lead to two. As he did the entire second half, Xavier guard Lionel Chalmers found an open man in the corner, unheralded Dedrick Finn, for a 3-pointer. Finn sank the shot and was fouled on the play by Francisco Garcia, sending the Musketeer fans into the throes of ecstasy. Finn made the ensuing free throw to give Xavier a 62-60 lead, its first since the first two minutes of the game. After Finn's shot, the Musketeers never trailed and won 80-70. "That was a huge play," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "That helped turn the momentum in our favor."
Player who impressed me
Romain Sato gets more of the publicity, but the man who makes Xavier go is Chalmers. The 6-foot senior guard was able to penetrate Louisville's defense in the second half to create open shots for, among others, Sato and Finn. "Their points in the second half came as a result of Chalmers' penetration," Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said. "Great players play in the middle. Weak players play on the sideline. Chalmers got in the middle." Chalmers' highlight of the night came with 10:39 remaining. With Xavier down three, Garcia missed a 3-pointer, and the Musketeers found Chalmers cherry-picking down the floor. He dunked the ball to cut the deficit to one and brought the Xavier fans to their feet.
Courtside confidential
Louisville assistant coach Reggie Theus was gracious about being passed over for the head coaching job at his alma mater, UNLV. Theus, in his first year as an assistant coach for the Cardinals, was interested in the job that eventually went to Lon Kruger. "When you bleed Rebel red, being UNLV coach is always something you want to do," Theus said. "But I'm happy for Lon Kruger." ... After losing Friday night, Pitino's record in first-round NCAA tournament games is 8-2. He had won eight straight ... Sebastian Telfair, the much-hyped point guard from Brooklyn who signed in November to play for the Cardinals, is most likely skipping college for the NBA, but, in the unlikely event he attends Louisville, would there be a backcourt in the country better than Dean, Garcia and Telfair?
Long-term prospects
On Sunday, Xavier meets No. 2 seed Mississippi State, an easy 84-52 winner over Monmouth on Friday night. The two teams met earlier this season, with the Bulldogs winning 82-70 in Starkville, Miss. But don't let that result make you think Sunday's game is an automatic win for Mississippi State. Xavier is arguably the hottest team in the country right now, and its backcourt of Chalmers and Sato may have the advantage over their Bulldogs counterparts, Timmy Bowers and Winsome Frazier. The outcome, though, hinges on how well the Musketeers defend SEC Player of the Year Lawrence Roberts. Considering how well Xavier's playing, Roberts and the Bulldogs could be in trouble.
