Xavier

DAYTON, Ohio - For Xavier coach Thad Matta, the realization came early. On Saint Joseph's first possession, Delonte West got the ball 15 feet from the basket, squared his shoulders and launched a jump shot that hit the front rim. Hard. Matta did a double-take. In the teams' previous meeting two months ago, West made all 12 of his field-goal attempts, including three from three-point range, and all six free throws en route to a 33-point performance. Twenty-two seconds into the rematch, in a quarterfinal game of the Atlantic 10 tournament, the standout junior was 0-for-1.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - This time, the Maryland Terrapins required no last-second miracle, no buzzer-beating shot to continue their survival in the single-elimination pressure cooker known as the NCAA men's basketball tournament. In yesterday's South Regional second round at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, sixth-seeded Maryland flexed its muscle with maturity and self-assurance before 17,484 witnesses. The Xavier Musketeers, with their gaudy record, All-America power forward and No. 3 seed, ultimately had no answer.

An elderly Rockdale man, sued for back wages by his kidnapper, does not have to pay, a judge ruled yesterday during an unusual trial in which both men represented themselves.The ruling in Baltimore County Circuit Court was not based on the claim that David K. C. Xavier breached his employment contract by kidnapping and robbing Abel A. Caplan, 74, at knifepoint on April 13, 1995. Judge Barbara Kerr Howe ruled that calls Xavier made from Caplan's phone to sex hot lines cost more than the $288 being sought.

Maryland said Friday it has admitted Dezmine Wells, a highly coveted basketball player expelled by Xavier following a sexual assault allegation that a prosecutor said was unproven. It's uncertain whether Wells will be able to play for the Terps this season. Maryland will soon seek an NCAA waiver -- the process is expected to take about three weeks -- under which the guard-forward would receive an exemption from the transfer rule and not be required to sit out a season. It is difficult to predict the outcome of the request because Wells' case appears unique -- a player expelled from a school but backed by a prosecutor and never criminally charged.

College basketball Cincinnati@Xavier 7 p.m. [ESPN2] This is the 75th time these cross-town rivals are meeting. In the 1990s, it was Xavier that was a thorn in the side of Cincinnati, beating the Bearcats twice when the Bearcats were the top-ranked team. These days, it's the Atlantic 10's Xavier (7-1) that is ranked (No. 17) with the Big East's Cincinnati (4-4) going for the upset. The Musketeers, who have some decent size, have six players averaging in double digits. NBA Pistons@Rockets 8 p.m. [ESPN]

Intracity rivalries proved costly Sunday for ranked teams as first No. 3 Villanova fell to Temple in Philadelphia and then Xavier went double overtime to quash No. 19 Cincinnati in the Queen City. Juan Fernandez's early 3s kept Temple close, his first one of the second half gave the Owls (8-2) the lead and his big ones late in the game helped clinch their biggest regular-season victory in nearly 10 years. By the time Temple fans bellowed "Overrated!" and stormed the court, Villanova's perfect record and city dominance were finished.

I tuned in to ESPN yesterday to see what all the Kenny Tate hype was about. Tate's DeMatha Catholic squad squared off against Cincinnati St. Xavier on the campus of the University of Cincinnati as part of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge. DeMatha - in the midst of a 22-game winning streak dating back to 2005 - fell to the hometown St. Xavier Bombers, 28-7. Tate was blanketed all day by St. Xavier defenders, often facing double coverage. DeMatha quarterback Tom Chroniger tried to connect with Tate several times down the left side of the field, but was inches away each time.

CINCINNATI -- In a game marked by poor shooting and turnovers by both teams, UMBC lost to Xavier, 77-58, last night at Cincinnati Gardens before 6,613 fans.UMBC (1-6) has lost 15 of its past 16 games on the road and hasn't won a road contest in December since beating Coppin State in 1992.The Retrievers shot just 27 percent from the field (18 for 66) and 62 percent from the line (16 of 26). UMBC committed 32 turnovers.UMBC, which came into the game averaging 16 turnovers per contest, had that many by the end of the first half.

THE controversy surrounding the St. Paul's School for Boys lacrosse team has raged for nearly two weeks, with a welcome consensus that a 16-year-old boy videotaping a sex act with a 15-year-old girl and showing it to teammates is wrong. That, at least, is a relief. The consensus is not as clear on the punishment the school handed out. Most agree that expelling the budding filmmaker -- Orson Welles, he ain't -- was appropriate. Thirty students who watched the video and reported it to no one and did nothing to stop it were suspended for three days.

INDIANAPOLIS -- They weren't supposed to be so tough, this small and scrappy team from little Xavier. They weren't supposed to start three guards, all 6 feet and smaller, and stay with top-ranked, top-seeded Indiana in the second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional.If the Musketeers weren't intimidated by the taller, stronger Hoosiers, then surely they would be stunned by the crowd of 37,411 at the Hoosier Dome. "I was afraid to look into the stands," joked Xavier coach Pete Gillen. "There's more people up there than in Bulgaria."