The eight team field for the O'Rielly Auto Part Puerto Rico Tip-Off has been announced, and Xavier looks to get three quality games out of the tournament. Xavier will play Missouri in the first round of the Tournament. Missouri finished 2007-08 at 16-16 (6-10), but will serve as an early test to the Xavier frontcourt. The Tigers are experienced and skilled in the post with returning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year DeMarre Carroll, a senior transfer from Vanderbilt that led the team in rebounding and was third in scoring a season ago, and Leo Lyons, a 6'9" senior big man who averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Xavier will then play either the winner or loser of the game between Fairfield and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech returns three starters in senior wing and leading scorer A.D. Vassallo, sophomore forward and leading rebounder Jeff Allen, and sophomore small forward J.T. Thompson.
The other side of the bracket contains UT-Chattanooga against defending national runner up (but highly depleted) Memphis, as well as USC (still extremely strong with DeVon Jefferson, Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and top shooting guard Demar DeRozan) against Seton Hall.
If nothing else Xavier looks to get three quality games from the tournament. Missouri, while losing a significant number of seniors from last season, offers a physical brand of basketball that Xavier likely will not face in their conference, save Ahmad Nivens and St. Joseph's. A win and a second round matchup with Virginia Tech brings another type of challenge, a group of three talented players who can shoot and get to the basket from the wing position. Wing defenders like Derrick Brown, Dante Jackson and possibly Jordan Crawford, if he is eligible, will be counted on to hold the Hokie wings in check. Virginia Tech looks to be a team contending for an NCAA berth and likely will be int eh RPI top 50, so a win over them would greatly boost Xavier's RPI and resume come Tournament time. Aside from the game with Duke at the Meadowlands, a possible championship matchup with either Memphis or USC looks to be the toughest test on the Xavier schedule. Memphis lost a great deal from a team that came a Mario Chalmers miracle away from a championship. But John Calipari knew that, and brings in the fourth best recruiting class in the country led by shooting guard Tyreke Evans. (An Evans vs. DeRozan matchup in the semifinals could be a matchup of the two best freshman in the country, and both would be guarding each other). DeRozan slips right into the vacated spot of O.J. Mayo and with Mayo's supporting cast, namely Jefferson and Gibson in the frontcourt, developing, USC is looking for a top seed in the West bracket of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Xavier's first two games will be on ESPNU, with the third round game on ESPN2.
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