Mandel: Xavier overcomes 2nd-round jinx

2008-09-10T07:14:51-04:00

2008-03-22T21:28:29-04:00

2008-09-10T06:40:06-04:00

2008-03-23T03:14:11-04:00

Zooropa04

Baltimore 58017

Dude, Lex, when you have to play every second of the forty minutes to beat a lower-seeded team composed of the aforementioned freshmen and sophomores, you might want to think about tempering the trash talk. 1390294

2008-03-23T02:47:58-04:00

194

YngwieScruggs

Cleveland 217476

purdue was super weak on the inside, but zooropa is right, when those kids start filling out instead of being lanky and getting shoved around, Purdue will be a top 4 seed team next year, possibly a 2 or 3. They have a LOT of talent coming back that will get better for next year. I would say they overachieved to stick with a very very good and very balanced XU team. Xavier probably should have beaten them by 15. 1390192

2008-03-23T00:37:18-04:00

154

Lex from NorCal

San Francisco 14569

"Four freshmen, two sophomores... Purdue will be back." Back to the NIT indeed. Go XU! 1389423

2008-03-22T22:02:02-04:00

Zooropa04

Baltimore 58017

Four freshmen, two sophomores... Purdue will be back. 1388402

Writer:  Stewart Mandel Game:  Purude-Xavier Post time: 8:55 p.m., Saturday WASHINGTON D.C. -- Xavier point guard Drew Lavender had one word written on each of his black sneakers during Saturday's NCAA second-round game against Purdue: "Nope."Nope, as in "not going to happen," as in "not going to bow out in the second round again" -- and certainly not in the same heart-breaking fashion as befell the Musketeers a year ago against Ohio State, when they blew an eight-point lead in the final minutes and lost in overtime."The Ohio State game was in our head the whole game [against Purdue]," Lavender said after Xavier pulled out an 85-78 victory. "Stanley [Burrell] and I talked about it at halftime. 'This isn't last year. We're not going out like that again."For a brief moment in the second half, it appeared they might. After going up 60-50 with 8:33 left, the Boilermakers went on a 11-0 run to pull ahead 61-60. That the Musketeers didn't flinch was a credit to the 5-foot-7 Lavender, Xavier's undisputed spark-plug who finally returned to 100 percent this week after playing the last month of the regular season with a sprained ankle.Shortly after regaining the lead on a B.J. Raymond three-point play, Lavender did what he does best: Drove the length of the floor for a lay-up to extend the lead to 65-61, then, with the shot clock about to expire, beating Purdue's press, driving to the hoop and dishing to C.J. Anderson for a buzzer-beating lay-in with 3:37 remaining."You can't press Drew Lavender when he's 100 percent," said Burrell. "He's [5-foot7]. He's going to zigzag right through you."Purdue immediately called a timeout, upon which Lavender skipped to the bench with his arms raised above his shoulders. "That was kind of a back-breaker," said Lavender, who finished with 18 points and eight assists. "At that point, I was thinking about going to Phoenix."For Xavier seniors Lavender (who transferred from Oklahoma three years ago), Burrell and Josh Duncan and fourth-year coach Sean Miller, that trip to the desert will be the latest milestone in a four-year ascension from no postseason (2004-05) to the NCAA first round ('06) to the second round ('07) to now, at least, the Sweet 16. In an interesting coincidence, they meet West Virginia, whose coach, Bob Huggins, led Xavier's arch-nemesis, Cincinnati, for 16 years."It's going to be a great storyline, but I can't really think about it right now," said Burrell. "This is a time to celebrate. How many times can you say, I'm going to the Sweet 16? I know I've never been."    2446

NCAATournament

Torrington 395546