Xavier Musketeers Power Index: 32.1*

Thad Matta's Musketeers have a chance to win it all because of David West, whom I rate as the best power forward in the nation. West is a junior Derrick Coleman in the low post, with the ability to rebound at a high rate, score with his back to or facing the basket, and pass when doubled. Over the summer, West worked on his perimeter skills, and has shown more of a willingness to move and be harder to guard outside of the post. West may not have the size of the prototype NBA small forward, but he is good enough to carry a team to New Orleans if the draw suits him. West is no Lone Ranger, but has a very capable sidekick in Romain Sato, the explosive wing guard who can shoot and now attack the basket. Lionel Chalmers had a solid season at the point, and has natural passing and handling skills and the heart of a true competitor. With Dave Young, Keith Jackson, Will Caudle and a talented crop of newcomers, West and Sato will have plenty of help. The key could be the leadership of Chalmers with the ball in his hands. If he can make everybody better, as really good point guards do, then the transition from very good team to great team is within Xavier's reach. -- Jay Bilas

Toughness: 7.4
Xavier is a tougher team because of Sato and West. We're not trying to harp too much on these two, but the reality is that Sato is one of the toughest big guards in the country and West is a power player who is hard to contain in the middle. A-10 teams have a hard time deciding how to defend this tandem and the same dilemma will hit anyone in the NCAAs. Xavier has to get tougher on the road and in any neutral site games, but that shouldn't be a problem with vets like Sato and West around for one more season.

Talent: 6.5
We've already talked about the talent at Xavier with Sato and West. But the Musketeers couldn't be a Final Four contender with just these two. Matta has more to put on the court. Chalmers is underrated as a playmaking point guard and gets the ball in the right spots to West and Sato on the wing. Young needs to be a better shooter on the wing and Dedrick Finn could push him for major minutes. The bench is a bit of an unknown. It's not a factor for the A-10, but might catch up to them in the NCAAs.

Tourney Tested: 5.4
Xavier was a pest in the NCAAs last season, beating Hawaii and giving Oklahoma a rough game. Xavier is one of those teams that got enough experience last season that it should carry over to this March. Sato is a candidate to leave early and this is it for West. The Musketeers should be a factor after getting through the A-10, where they will be the No. 1 target every time they step on the court.

Schedule: 8.7
The Preseason NIT didn't do Xavier any favors by shipping the Musketeers to Stanford in a likely second-round matchup. If Xavier gets by Stanford, then the Musketeers should get another two quality games against teams like Florida, Kansas, Rutgers or North Carolina. Xavier also set up a game with Mississippi State in Madison Square Garden, plays Creighton, Ball State and travels to Alabama. All are good enough games to keep their power rating high enough before it will likely dip a bit once they get into the Atlantic 10 season.

Xs & Os: 4.1
Matta doesn't get much recognition for his coaching but he must be doing something right after leading Butler and Xavier to the NCAAs. As long as everything is geared toward Sato and West, there shouldn't be any issues for the Musketeers. Xavier will need to adjust at various points throughout the season when defenses focus on this pair.

-- Andy Katz

ESPN.com's Power Index is based on a 10-point scale in each of these five categories: Toughness, Talent, Schedule Strength, Tournament Tested, Xs & Os. Teams are scored based on returning players, coaching staffs, a program's past performances in the regular season and postseason, as well as expectations heading into the 2002-03 season.