Five much less essential facts about Xavier basketball

Hello again, freshmen and women (freshpersons?). That first day of classes is in the rearview now, so feel free to purge all that information from your brain and instead file this stuff in there. It's not going to benefit you at all, but I promise that most of it is all true, probably.

1. The Blue Blob exists because D'Artagnan scared kids

Named by Columbus Alive as one of the 10 worst mascots in college sports and the subject of more questions that being with "who the F is..." than Hank Green, the Blue Blob is actually the brainchild of 1985 spirit squad coordinator Sally Watson. If you're 5'7" or under and willing to sweat through a game in a costume saturated in the sweat of your predecessors, feel free to try out to be the Blob.

2. We have the best radio crew on the air

Xavier basketball comes over the airwaves courtesy of Joe Sunderman on the play-by-play and Byron Larkin bringing the color analysis. Both are former standout Xavier players and are generally revered in the Musketeer basketball community. Sunderman is a consummate pro, bringing his Hickory High-era vernacular of gym shoes and time lines to the tapestry of a narrative that he weaves. Byron is basically the exact opposite. He blurts out his reaction to whatever is happening on the floor - sometimes right over Joe's call, calls out officials when they make bad calls, and dispenses advice to the players right over the air. They seem to genuinely enjoy working together, and their chemistry over the air just works.

3. We don't like the University of Dayton that much

For years, Xavier and Dayton were conference rivals, and a good deal of animosity has built up around that conflict. Unlike UC fans and their insistence that they are still the big brother, UD fans more or less recognize Xavier as the superior program. That doesn't stop them from generally being horrible to Xavier - including verbally abusing Coach Mack's wife during a game - whenever they visit. Also, Dayton hasn't beat Xavier at Xavier since one-term president Jimmy Carter was in office. Bring that up as often as possible.

4. That's the Cincinnati skyline on the floor

I mean, it's the outline of it, but still. Take it for what it is; reviews have been mixed among the Xavier fan base.

5. Cincinnati-style chili is not good food

I know there are people who will fight me over this, but I'll gladly die on this hill. It is a loose stew best described with a glance at the higher numbers on the Bristol stool scale and completely unfit to be consumed by man or beast. It is one of the only foods that looks like it has already passed through a digestive tract when it is served that then also actually benefits in edibility for having made that journey. If you want a local food experience, try ice cream from Graeter's or scrape together your pennies and hit the Montgomery Inn. Save Skyline for sponsoring the Crosstown Shootout and Gold Star for attendance charts or something.