Mar 15, 2007, 16:10 GMT
Lexington, KY - A couple of teams that have had nearly identical seasons meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional tonight, as the ninth-seeded Xavier Musketeers hook up with the eighth-seeded BYU Cougars from Rupp Arena. The victor of this contest moves on to face either top-seeded Ohio State or 16th-seeded Central Connecticut State in the second round on Saturday.
Xavier, 24-8 overall, won the Atlantic 10 regular season title at 13-3, although it had its nine-game winning streak stopped with a loss to Rhode Island in the league tournament. Despite the loss, the Musketeers were awarded an at-large bid to their 17th NCAA Tournament and their sixth in the last seven years. The team is 11-17 all-time in this event, with its best showing being an Elite Eight appearance in 2004.
As for BYU, it won its first outright league title since 1987-88, finishing 13-3 in the Mountain West Conference. Like their opponent however, the Cougars were knocked off in their league tournament and therefore had to earn an at-large bid. This is the team's 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2004. BYU is just 11-24 all-time in this event and it has been defeated in the first round in each of its last four appearances.
The Cougars lead the all-time series with Xavier, 2-0, although the two teams haven't met since the 1967-68 season.
The Musketeers are about as sound of a team as their is, as they are averaging a solid 76.4 ppg off an efficient 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 39.0 percent from behind the arc. Justin Doellman leads the club in scoring with 13.4 ppg and he is also pulling down 5.5 rpg. Stanley Burrell nips at his heels with 13.1 ppg and he is hitting on 81.6 percent of his free-throw tries. Drew Lavender adds 11.2 ppg and team-high 4.7 apg to the rotation, and he is the squad's top three-point shooter with 45.9 percent accuracy from long distance. Justin Cage rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.1 ppg to go along with 5.5 rpg.
The Cougars have gotten the job done with their high powered offense that is averaging a healthy 78.1 ppg on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor and an equally as good 41.3 percent from three-point land. Keena Young, the MWC Player of the Year, is the team's top scorer (17.2 ppg) and rebounder (6.5 rpg) and he is also shooting 54.9 percent from the floor. Trent Plaisted has provided a nice complement to him, as he contributes 12.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Lee Cummard adds 9.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg for BYU, which is outrebounding its opponents by 6.4 rpg this season.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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