ARMANDO NAVARRO ALERT

The Musketeers have two transfers in their starting five: swingman C.J. Anderson, who originally played at Manhattan. And 5-7 guard Drew Lavender, who originally played at Oklahoma.

You may recall that Xavier was bounced out of the NCAAs in the second round last year when Ohio State beat them in overtime. The Muskies had it in the bag--Greg Oden had already fouled out and X led by as many as 11 points late--until the Buckeyes' Ron Lewis hit a desperation 3 with 2 ticks left to force overtime.

Game has started. X is going right at Joe Alexander of WVU. Maybe it's just coincidence, but they've gone at him two of the first three possessions and he just picked up his first foul at about 17:51. WVU cannot afford him getting a 2nd early.

Xavier is up 8-0 early and Huggy Bear is so no pleased. The Musketeers are quite the enigma. Nothing flashy, but like gravity and Jackie Chan, they just have a way of getting the job done. Okay, Jackie Chan is flashy. Most impressive physical specimen on Xavier: 6-9 Josh Duncan, who has a Kurt Thomas physique. The gymnast or the NBA player, take your pick.

Least impressive? 5-7 Drew Lavender. But the young man can play. What I'd like to see is Lavender wearing Duncan's below-the-knee shorts.