Strictly Come Dancing: Xavier, Atlantic 10

Who? The Musketeers of Xavier.

Where? Cincinnati, OH, the city that once had Jerry Springer as its mayor.

When? Monday the 8th, in Upper Marlboro, MD.

How? Up 12 at the half, Xavier was taken to overtime by a determined Temple team, but held the Owls scoreless for the last 3:55 to take the game 57-55.

Upset? Nope. Xavier ran the table in conference, finishing three games ahead of Dayton and Temple.

RPI: 11

SOS: 60

In the poll era, the recipe for success is simple: don't lose. Xavier hasn't lost in this calendar year, playing in a tough, competitive conference. They play hard, they play tough, and they're not afraid of anyone.

Their attack is led by the imposing post tandem of juniors Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips. Harris is the team's leading scorer with 15.4 per game and second-leading rebounder at a tiny smidge under nine per game, while Phillips averages a double-double with 13.7 points and 11.3 rebounds (almost half of which are offensive, a stat that boggles my mind). Behind them is a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging 8.4 points or better... but when your posts shoot 55.8% and 62.1% from the field, who needs other scorers?

The most puzzling losses are the two to the Michigan schools- on the road at Michigan State and at home against Michigan. They beat Mississippi State by 21 and Arizona State by 13. If they can cut down their turnovers I think it'll be very interesting to see what they do in the tournament.