Hansen: A look at Xavier, from A to X

B is for Big-Game Mark Lyons, a Xavier transfer who led the entire NCAA tournament in scoring average (24.3) in 2013, leading Arizona to the Sweet 16. Lyons now plays for Ironi Nahariya in the Israel EuroLeague.

C is for Cal and Colorado. Xavier has played in more NCAA tournaments, 25, than both the Bears, 18, and Buffaloes, 13.

D is for not-so-done deal. In March 2007, Sean Miller signed a Xavier contract extension through the 2015-16 season.

E is for Evansville, where Xavier coach Chris Mack played his first two seasons of college basketball, 1988-90. He scored 22 points. Total. Just a few more than his knee surgeries (two).

F is for Xavier’s firing of coach Ned Wulk after the Musketeers blew a 22-point lead to Bradley in the 1957 NIT and lost 116-81. A bit scarred but undeterred, Wulk persuaded Arizona State to hire him a few weeks later. He became the top coach in ASU history, guiding the Sun Devils to 406 wins and nine NCAA tournament appearances.

G is for Pete Gillen, the ranking legend of Xavier basketball coaching. He coached the Muskies to seven NCAA tournaments in nine seasons before leaving to coach Providence and Virginia.

H is for human highlight film Trevon Bluiett, a 6-foot-6-inch Xavier freshman averaging 11.3 points a game. He’s a four-star recruit from Indianapolis who turned down an offer from UCLA to play for the Musketeers.

I is for inexcusable. In a scheduling gaffe, Xavier played Long Beach State twice this season, winning 97-74 on Nov. 18 in Cincinnati and losing to a really bad 49ers team 12 days later in Anaheim, California, before just 2,191 at the Wooden Legacy.

J is for almost jumping the gun. While an assistant at Xavier in 2002, Miller jumped at the coaching vacancy at Robert Morris. The Colonials instead hired former Xavier assistant coach Mark Schmidt. He went 82-90 in six seasons.

K is for kin. One of the four retired jerseys in Xavier history belongs to Byron Larkin, brother of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin. Byron, Xavier’s career scoring leader (2,696 points) will be the Musketeers radio analyst at Thursday’s Sweet 16.

L is for Drew Lavender, Miller’s 5-7, 155-pound point guard at Xavier from 2006-08. Lavender was a McDonald’s All-American who played his first two seasons at Oklahoma before returning home (he is from Columbus, Ohio) to lead the Musketeers to a 30-7, Elite Eight finish in 2008.

M is for MBA. Matt Stainbrook, Xavier’s best player, a finance grad, is working on his MBA while averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. He’s a transfer from Western Michigan.

N is for no drop in attendance since Miller left for Arizona six years ago. Xavier averaged 9,998 per home game at the 10,250-seat Cintas Center.

O is for Xavier’s 0-for-5 streak of keeping its head coach from hiring-firm predators. In the last 30 years, the Musketeers lost Bob Staak to Wake Forest; Gillen to Providence; Skip Prosser also to Wake Forest; Thad Matta to Ohio State and Miller to Arizona.

P is for Power Forward U. Few schools have produced NBA prototype power forwards like Xavier, with lottery picks David West (6-8, 250 pounds), 6-9, 240-pound Tyrone Hill and 6-9, 255-pound Brian Grant.

Q is for quick trigger. Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski publicly fretted about losing so many top basketball coaches to bigger schools, then left in 2013 to become AD at Georgia Tech.

R is for remember Prosser? He coached Loyola of Maryland against Arizona in the 1994 NCAA tournament (losing 81-55), and a year later became head coach at Xavier. Tragically, Prosser died of a heart attack in 2007. He was only 56.

S is for surprise. The team with the most losses that Arizona has ever lost to in the NCAA tournament was the 2000 Wisconsin team, which was 18-13 and a sixth-place Big Ten squad when it shocked No. 1 seed Arizona 66-59 in a second-round game. Xavier also has 13 losses.

T is for Tu Holloway, the best player Miller left at Xavier upon moving to Tucson. Holloway was a recruiting coup for Miller in 2008. He had committed to Indiana, but when the Hoosiers were sentenced to the NCAA jail, Holloway relocated to Xavier. He scored 1,833 career points.

U is for underdog. Xavier has won NCAA tournament games as seeded underdogs against No. 2 Mississippi State, No. 3 Texas, No. 3 Georgetown, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 8 BYU.

V is for victory. The Muskies have won 23 NCAA tournament games. How good is that? Arizona State has won 13. Gonzaga 21. Oregon 16. Stanford 23. Washington 18.

W is for winning without a guy named Sean. Since Miller left Xavier, the Musketeers have won 132 games (22.0 per season), reached the Sweet 16 three times, and only missed the Big Dance once.

X is for xenopus, a tongueless frog of South Africa, which will be exactly what Arizona’s basketball fans will feel like if the Wildcats lose to Xavier in the Sweet 16.