Xavier University NCAA News

Xavier University head basketball coach Chris Mack announced today that he has received four signed national letters of intent from young men who will be a part of the Xavier team beginning with the 2010-11 season, an impressive list of signees which earned Xavier a top 20 recruiting class ranking by rivals.com and many other experts.

Xavier's basketball season was already going to be a big one for Jamel McLean, who has stepped into an expanded role following the departure of NBA-bound Derrick Brown.

Coach Chris Mack was clear about one mission following Xavier's first exhibition game earlier this week: The team needed to defend without fouling.

Well with basketball season upon, the sports writers at the Examiner will vote in our own Top 25 for the beloved readers of the Examiner.

OUTLOOK: One of the most difficult tasks in college basketball is winning the regular season title in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

When fans rise to their feet and Xavier's starting lineup is announced at Cintas Center, there's one player who commands attention.

Each weekend, UC's Mick Cronin and XU's Chris Mack will give readers insight into their basketball teams through The Enquirer's Bill Koch and Shannon Russell.

The University of Dayton men's basketball team may be favored to win the Atlantic 10, but the league's coaches expect a competitive race and believe the list of potential champions is long.

There's nothing like a little preseason basketball to get Cintas Center rocking.

We had a great week of practice. It's even more satisfying when you watch the DVD of practice each night and you can clearly see the progress.

He has won 82 games and lost just 24. He's 3-for-3 in NCAA tournament berths and never failed to win at least one game in the Big Dance.

The Xavier University Musketeer mena s basketball team, three-time defending Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Champion, has been selected second in the preseason poll for the 2010 Atlantic 10 men's basketball race.

He hasn't played a single game for his new team, but Xavier guard Jordan Crawford already is the Atlantic 10's most famous player.

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: There's some hype surrounding three redshirt players, including 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Jordan Crawford , one of the top guards in the Big Ten in 2007-08 as a freshman at Indiana .

Xavier captured its third consecutive Atlantic 10 regular season crown with a 12-4 record in conference play.

Friday marks the first day of regular-season Xavier men's basketball practice in the Chris Mack era, but the first-year head coach said it won't be dramatically different than years past.

A year ago, the answer to the question of "Who is the best shooter in the country?" was fairly consistent.

While traditional heavyweights Kansas , Kentucky and Michigan State figure to open the 2009-10 season atop the national rankings, this could represent a year of transition for teams outside the six major conferences.

Here's a scary thought for North Central High School basketball opponents: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera started training with weights this week.

Head mena s basketball coach Chris Mack announced today that Joe Hughes, 6-6 junior walk-on forward from Indianapolis Cathedral High School, has been given a one-year scholarship.