It has been nearly two years since Xavier cracked the top 25 of the AP poll. Back then the Musketeers were 9-1 and had just rolled UC, the #44 team in the KenPom rankings. Things went a bit pear shaped after that as X went 10-12 the rest of the way and was spared a very fraught Selection Sunday only by a pandemic canceling the tournament.
Two years later we are, somehow, still dealing with the same pandemic. In much better news, Xavier is back in the AP top 25, if only just. The Musketeers check in this week at 25th, one of four (Villanova #7, Seton Hall #21, UConn #22) to grace the top 25 of the most venerated poll in basketball.