Musketeer Madness

of the last 15 or so years: Gonzaga, Xavier or Memphis? Is it more than a 3 team race? If so, who?

Discuss.

Well I would say Memphis is third over the last 15 years ... and I am guessing Gonzaga and Xavier would pretty much tie, depending on the criteria used.
But I like the question.

Well since 1993 (15 years ago)

Memphis has been to the tournament 7 times with an average seed of 5.4 and a tournament record of 9-7. They have advanced to the Sweet 16 3 times, going to the Elite 8 in two of those cases with no Final Fours.

Gonzaga has been the tournament 10 times with an average seed of 7.9 and a 12-10 record. They have been to the Sweet 16 4 times but only getting to the Elite 8 in one of those occasions with no Final Fours.

Xavier has been to the tournament 10 times with an average seed of 8.4 and a record of 8-10. They have been to the Sweet 16 once and advanced to the Elite 8 that year and have no Final Fours.

So statistically based on tournament success the hat gets tipped in Gonzaga's favor.

CBS Sportsline doesn't break the numbers down to only include the last 15 years, but here's a few non-BCS schools with extensive NCAA appearances & W's (won/loss record in parantheses)-

Xavier (12-18)
WKY (15-20)
Utah (35-29)
Tulsa (12-14)
UTEP (14-15)
Temple (31-25)
SJU (18-22)
New Mexico State (10-19)
Memphis (25-20)
Houston (26-23)
Gonzaga (12-10)
Dayton (13-15)

If Dayton's on there with 13 wins, they are going way back on the timeline. Were there even conferences back then?

Based on just the provided information, Gonzaga wins if you're looking for success over the entire span of the 15 years. If impact is more important than long-term consistency, Memphis gets the edge.

However, I think the case can also be made for X when taking into consideration factors outside of the provide info. But, again, I think Gonzaga and Memphis are the choices going on what was provided.

St. Joe's was 6.8 seconds away from the Final Four a few years back. (The closest the Zags came was 33 seconds and a possession away in the '99 Regional Final against eventual National Champ UConn).

Thus, I'd think the Hawks have to at least be in the conversation. Also, doesn't George Mason have 40k plus students?

And to answer a question from another thread -- I'll speak with our A.D. again about an Xavier home and home. It's been a couple of years since we had the conversation (GU was re-doing the St. Joe's deal then).

GoZags wrote:St. Joe's was 6.8 seconds away from the Final Four a few years back. (The closest the Zags came was 33 seconds and a possession away in the '99 Regional Final against eventual National Champ UConn).

Thus, I'd think the Hawks have to at least be in the conversation. Also, doesn't George Mason have 40k plus students?

And to answer a question from another thread -- I'll speak with our A.D. again about an Xavier home and home. It's been a couple of years since we had the conversation (GU was re-doing the St. Joe's deal then).

Please get back with his explaination! Thanks.