1987–88 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

1987–88 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
MCC Regular season champions
MCC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceMidwestern Collegiate Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 18
Record26–4 (9–1 MCC)
Head coach
Assistant coachDino Gaudio (1st season)
Home arenaCincinnati Gardens
Seasons
1987–88 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 Xavier 9 1   .900 26 4   .867
Evansville 6 4   .600 21 8   .724
Saint Louis 5 5   .500 14 14   .500
Butler 5 5   .500 14 14   .500
Loyola (IL) 3 7   .300 13 16   .448
Detroit Mercy 2 8   .200 7 23   .233
1988 MCC tournament winner
Rankings from AP


The 1987–88 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University from Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1987–88 season. Led by head coach Pete Gillen, the Musketeers played their home games at Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio. After opening the season 2–2, Xavier won 24 of its next 25 games on its way to winning regular season and MCC tournament titles. The team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest region – despite a No. 18 ranking in the AP poll. In the NCAA tournament, the Musketeers fell in the opening round to No. 6 seed and eventual National champion Kansas, 85–72.[1] Xavier finished with a 26–4 record (9–1 MCC).

Roster

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1987–88 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 10 Jamal Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
Fr
PG 11 Stan Kimbrough 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Jr Cleveland, Ohio
SG 23 Byron Larkin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Cincinnati, Ohio
F 33 Derek Strong 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Los Angeles, California
F 42 Tyrone Hill 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Cincinnati, Ohio
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Dec 5, 1987*
at Marquette L 61–67  0–1
MECCA Arena 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dec 8, 1987*
Delaware State W 100–77  1–1
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dec 12, 1987*
at Miami (OH) W 91–73  2–1
Millett Hall 
Oxford, Ohio
Dec 22, 1987*
at Providence L 76–96  2–2
Providence Civic Center 
Providence, Rhode Island
Dec 29, 1987*
Canisius W 87–56  3–2
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 2, 1988*
Kent State W 92–87  4–2
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 6, 1988*
at Western Michigan W 82–70  5–2
University Arena 
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Jan 9, 1988*
Florida International W 125–84  6–2
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 12, 1988*
Cincinnati W 98–80  7–2
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 16, 1988
Loyola–Chicago W 98–90  8–2
(1–0)
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 18, 1988
Detroit Mercy W 105–84  9–2
(2–0)
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jan 23, 1988
at Evansville L 84–86  9–3
(2–1)
Roberts Municipal Stadium 
Evansville, Indiana
Jan 25, 1988
at Saint Louis W 100–86  10–3
(3–1)
Kiel Auditorium 
St. Louis, Missouri
Jan 30, 1988*
vs. Saint Peter's W 78–75  11–3
 
 
Feb 3, 1988*
Wright State W 101–84  12–3
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 6, 1988
Butler W 89–74  13–3
(4–1)
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 8, 1988*
Western Michigan W 100–84  14–3
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 13, 1988
at Loyola–Chicago W 94–83  15–3
(5–1)
International Amphitheatre 
Chicago, Illinois
Feb 15, 1988
at Detroit Mercy W 114–97  16–3
(6–1)
Calihan Hall 
Detroit, Michigan
Feb 20, 1988
Evansville W 102–79  17–3
(7–1)
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 22, 1988
Saint Louis W 93–70  18–3
(8–1)
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 24, 1988*
at Florida International W 122–95  19–3
U.S. Century Bank Arena 
Miami, Florida
Feb 27, 1988*
Dayton W 86–73  20–3
Cincinnati Gardens 
Cincinnati, Ohio
Mar 1, 1988*
No. 20 at Niagara W 93–80  21–3
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 
Lewiston, New York
Mar 6, 1988
No. 20 at Butler W 71–70  22–3
(9–1)
Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, Indiana
Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament
Mar 11, 1988*
No. 20 vs. Loyola–Chicago
Semifinals
W 117–79  25–3
Market Square Arena 
Indianapolis, Indiana
Mar 12, 1988*
No. 20 vs. Detroit Mercy
Championship game
W 122–96  26–3
Market Square Arena 
Indianapolis, Indiana
NCAA Tournament
Mar 18, 1988*
(11 MW) No. 18 vs. (6 MW) Kansas
First Round
L 72–85  26–4
Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, Nebraska
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[2][3][4]

Rankings

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[5]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "N.C.A.A. TOURNAMENT: MIDWEST REGIONAL; Villanova and Pitt Advance". The New York Times. March 19, 1988. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "2019-20 Xavier Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Xavier University Athletics. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  3. ^ "1987-88 Xavier Musketeers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  4. ^ "1987-88 Xavier Musketeers Schedule and Results". Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  5. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 954–955. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.