Chris Mack: 'Our guys have nothing to hang their heads about'

Xavier's journey through the NCAA tournament came to an end Saturday with an 83-59 loss to Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.

While that lopsided result may not have been what the Musketeers were hoping for, their run was a tremendous surprise that only signaled a bright future for the program. After the loss, head coach Chris Mack noted that his players should be satisfied with their effort.

"Our guys have nothing to hang their heads about. I love them, I told them that in the locker room. Hopefully this experience makes us a little bit stronger the next time around," Mack said.

Xavier was slumping entering the Big Dance, and exceeded all expectations by winning three games. The Musketeers reached the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history, and met a Bulldogs squad that was also looking for the program's first-ever Final Four berth. Where Xavier came out flat, Gonzaga executed its game plan to near perfection, and was able to get over that hump.

"I'm proud of our team," Mack said. "It's tough when you get to this point and you don't play your best. I though Gonzaga played a marvelous game, they've really done it all year long. We sort of caught lightning in a bottle, our kids never quit, they continued to believe and we were playing our best basketball of the year."