XAVIER UNIVERSITY NIT CHAMPS 1958
The Cinderella Story
As the saying goes, "the third time was a charm" for Xavier and its fans. in 1956 head coach Ned Wulk guided the Musketeers to their first ever NIT appearance by beating St. Louis 84-80 in the first round before losing in the Quarterfinals 72-68. Wulk brought Xavier back into the NIT in 1957, defeating Seton Hall 85-79 before being eliminated by eventual champion Bradley.
Needless to say, expectations were high heading into the 1957-58 season. First-year coach Jim McCafferty's team jumped out of the gate with a 10-1 record and accepted a NIT bid at the time. Then things started to fall apart. XU lost 10 of its last 15 regular season games and was asked by the NIT selection committee if it wished to withdraw from the tourney. McCaffery answered with an empathetic "NO!"
This set the stage for Xavier's Cinderella story, a championship which Sports Magazine called "one of the greatest upsets in basketball history."
Most people thought the Musketeers stay in New York would be a short one. They were seeded last. The underdog Musketeers struggled in the first game, falling behind 16-3, XU came back to beat Nigaara 95-86, and went on to defeat Bradley 76-62 and St. Bonaventure 72-53 on its way to the NIT Championship game. |
