Musketeer Madness

During the season, even if you're playing well and/or ranked, you're one of 300+ Div. I teams playing, and vying for fan interest and media coverage.

After Selection Sunday, you're one of 64/65 teams vying for fan interest and media coverage. I have to admit that in the last 5 days, I thought X kind of got lost in the media shuffle, and didn't get the coverage you would expect a #10/3 seed team. With all the coaches being interviewed all over the dial, I never heard Miller on ESPN, XM or other outlets.

Now, if we win tomorrow, we'll have at least 5 days to be only one of 16 teams that anyone's talking and/or writing about. That's the kind of coverage that gets you noticed, and carries over into following seasons.

That's why tomorrow's game is so big. Lose, and we're a highly-ranked, highly-seeded team that went down to a nice, but not great, team, and is forgotten as the tourney quickly moves on. Win, and we've beaten SEC and B10 teams, and assured that X is all over the media at least until next Thursday.

Let's go X!

Very good post and 100% accurate! It will also help recruiting, I would think! Go Xavier!!!!

Beating a Big 10 team in the tournament also gives us lots of attention in our key market areas. Two of my daughters are Purdue graduates, with a daughter and a son Indiana grads. Lots of excitement and hype already in Olsingledigit's family. Let the buzz begin.

Same here. Chicago's primarily a B10 market, along with ND, and X gets little or no coverage here, even when we're ranked.

A win over Purdue Saturday would be well-covered here, which could only be good for X.

I think this media/publicity issue is part of why the tourney games seem even more important. Yes, the game, standing alone, is a huge deal because it's win or go home. It's the reason the season is played...to get your shot in the dance.

But, to the future of a program, it can mean so much more. A great showing puts the X brand in front of so many possible recruits and can help elevate the level of the program. A poor showing either gets you no coverage or negative press. Both can hurt a program.

Hopefully we rock Purdon't and we get coverage of the positive variety.