I watched Xavier on television a few times this season and the Musketeers never won. Furthermore, I wasn’t sure they were all that good.

TV can lie, though, so I watched them closely twice in person this past weekend. Well, they’re obviously good and I was surprised how big and physical they are, which better explains why they rebound so well. Yet while convinced of their talent and their worthiness after two really nice wins, I’m still not sure what it is about them.

They finished No. 9 in the RPI, which is phenomenal for an Atlantic 10 team, played the nation’s 24th-most difficult schedule and was 12-6 against the RPI’s top 100 — including 9-4 against the top 50.

On one hand, I think this might be the best team WVU faces this season. On the other, I can’ explain why.

Look at their statistics. They score and they don’t allow a lot of points. They have six good scorers but no great scorer. They have a good shooting percentage and a really good 3-point percentage. They play tough defense, but they allow healthy shooting percentages and they don’t block shots or get steals.

I got the sense from watching them play and explain their play that the Musketeers are, um, all for one and one for all. They’re very savvy, calm, together and unselfish and that’s difficult to stop. For those who have tried, it’s been their death wish.