Can't blame Miller, but bad timing.

After days of rumor, innuendo and a couple changes of heart, Sean Miller is off to the desert with $18 million over seven years in his back pocket.

Now, on to Xavier, where the timing couldn't have been worse.

By most accounts, next year's Muskies were shaping up to be a preseason top-10 team with Final Four aspirations. Now, we wonder which recruits might bail and if any current players will file their transfer papers.

This possibility makes the coaching search tenuous. It also makes the selection of top assistant Chris Mack more enticing.

The 39-year old Mack might not be ready to take the reigns of a Division I program with two Elite Eights and a couple Sweet 16's in the past 5 years, but he's the one guy who might be able to execute the damage control.

For many recruits, Mack is the face of X. He has a strong relationship with present and future players, as evidenced by the endorsements he's already received from a number of key Muskies.

If you're Xavier AD Mike Bobinski, do you hold out for an external candidate, or do you hire Mack if only for the purpose of stemming the tide?

With one of its greatest teams just months from taking the court, Xavier is in a sticky situation. As Miller heads off to build a national championship contender at Arizona, he leaves a potential mess on Victory Parkway.

In a few short days, the best of times at Xavier became the worst.