First look: Xavier, Terps meet in NCAA Tournament

Xavier head coach Chris Mack discusses Xavier's 2017 NCAA Tournament berth.The Enquirer/Patrick Brennan

The road was winding in 2016-17 for Xavier men's basketball, but it has ended up where many expected it would be in March at the outset: With the Musketeers back in March Madness for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

The juxtaposition of the Musketeers preseason expectations and the final result of the regular season and league campaigns is sharp. They battled a host of maladies, the least of which were the customary ebbs and flows. A season that began with a preseason AP Poll top-10 ranking included injuries to key starters, a would-be key player leaving the program and a late-season push to…