Xavier Musketeers

Gonzaga will open against Illinois in the nightcap of the Maui Invitational’s first day. The Zags and Illini will tip at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN2 on Monday, Nov. 19, at the Lahaina Civic Center. Arizona and Iowa State clash at 6, with the winner/loser matching up with Gonzaga/Illinois winner/loser.

Geno Crandall went from under-the-radar recruit to one of biggest grad transfers of the offseason. He heard from dozens of top programs, including the University of Minnesota, where he watched games as a kid. Crandall decided to leave Minneapolis with the long-range goal of coming back when his hometown hosts the 2019 Final Four.

Gonzaga added an important piece to its roster next season with the addition of North Dakota grad transfer Geno Crandall.Crandall, a native of Minneapolis, picked Gonzaga over Xavier and Minnesota. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard announced his decision Thursday, posting his picture in a Gonzaga No. 0 uniform with the hashtag ZagUp.

Xavier has hired assistant Travis Steele as its head coach, keeping with its custom of promoting from within and maintaining continuity. Steele has been an assistant at Xavier for 10 seasons, including the last nine on the staff of Chris Mack. Mack left for Louisville earlier in the week.

One word succinctly describes what’s transpired so far in the NCAA Tournament: Madness. But even that’s probably underselling it. A memorable, zany first two rounds – even by March Madness standards – set up what could be another wild two weekends in a tournament where anything can become reality.

The Florida State Seminoles are on their way to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 for the first time since 2011 after upsetting top-seeded Xavier with a furious comeback.

A surprise obstacle is in Gonzaga’s path to the Elite Eight. Florida State staged a late rally to knock off top-seeded Xavier 75-70 on Sunday, setting up Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against No. 4 Gonzaga (32-4) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tip time is approximately 7:07 and the game will be televised by TBS.

Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac and Xavier Rathan-Mayes all are gone, the first two drafted into the NBA. Florida State has only one starter back from a year ago when the Seminoles’ expected run through the NCAA Tournament came to a stunning and ugly end so much earlier than expected.

The Xavier Musketeers looked every bit like a No. 1 seed their first time around in the role at an NCAA Tournament.