Following Xavier this season wasn’t for the emotionally stable
College basketball is probably the best sport there is. The season starts full of hope for 362 teams. All of them know that a chance to appear on the sport’s biggest stage is available to them. UConn, Kansas, Duke, and Arizona can get there by dint of their schedule and the games they will win. The little guys, Stetson, Longwood, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Houston Christian all know that all they have to do is got hot and win four games at the right time and that familiar CBS theme will herald them walking on to the floor.
Xavier belongs in that first group. X doesn’t have to hope for the best come early March because their schedule and conference mean they have plenty of chances to build a resume that lands them in the tournament. Even in the years when it becomes auto bid or bust, it’s because the season has gone poorly, not because that was the only option available.
What that has meant this season is a roller coaster of emotions for Xavier fans. The frustration of early losses to Purdue and Washington gave way to elation at a huge win over St. Mary’s. Frustration was again the mood when Xavier threw away their season in late November and early December. At the time it was worrying, we know now it was fatal. Xavier never recovered from losing to a very mediocre Oakland team or a horrid Delaware one.
Xavier engenders a lot of emotion from fans. That’s the fun of it. Nothing can bring everyone together like leaping off the couch for a (the) Brad Colbert three. Quincy Olivari deserves special note here, because he’s brought joy all season. His happiness and the bounce with which he plays, especially at home, cannot fail to bring a smile. The man called Qdini has made Cincinnati his own, and Xavier has adopted him as a surely as any four year player.
But this season has brought more than the usual feelings that come with the basketball year. This season introduced something new: resignation. Even the teams of the Steele years caused more frustration than anything as they started well and then faded. As the game ticked down last night, or even as the Butler game headed toward overtime, it was hard not to feel simply resigned to Xavier’s fate.
That’s not to say the players didn’t work hard, with one game of exception, they did. The coach did what he could, and the fans generally showed out. As the regular season ended, though, it was just obvious that Xavier didn’t have the horses or the legs. Brad Colbert is an amazing and uplifting story, but he shouldn’t be sniffing the rotation. Abou Ousmane is full of effort, but he’s not a starting Big East big man. As the time wound down, it was more acceptance than pain that went through Xavier Nation.
The Big East Tournament remains. There is yet a chance for miracles. Quincy Olivari could still become Kemba Walker. If he doesn’t though, if Xavier goes gently into that good night, it will be hard to work up too much of the usual end of season grief. These guys have done all they can and have given us some great moments. At the end, though, it matters if you have the guys. Sometimes you just have to accept that you don’t.