NEW YORK — Xavier hasn’t had it easy and it certainly hasn’t been pretty, but in their second year in the Big East they’re heading to the tournament final.
The No. 6 seed Musketeers upset No. 2 seed Georgetown 65-63 in the semifinals, surviving after nearly blowing a 20-point second half lead. Backcourt mates Dee Davis and Myles Davis sunk four free throws in the final ten seconds and Chris Mack’s strategy of fouling the Hoyas before they could get a three off worked.
Xavier led 53-33 with 7:53 remaining when Georgetown’s Jabril Trawick stepped to the line and split a pair of free throws. He missed the second, and in the scrum for the ensuing rebound, Xavier sophomore Jalen Reynolds committed a technical. That sparked a 24-6 Hoya run over the next seven minutes, capped by a Paul White three with 24 seconds remaining to make it 59-57. Hoya guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s layup made it a one-point game with 14 seconds left, but Xavier made enough free throws to reach the tournament final and defeat Georgetown for the third time this season. The game was so tight, the video board operator at Madison Square Garden initially had their graphics wrong after the game’s conclusion:
Friday night’s semifinal likely wasn’t even the toughest game of the Musketeers’ journey, as they needed overtime to get past No. 3 seed Butler in Thursday night’s quarters. In both games they were anchored by the interior play of senior Matt Stainbrook, who had 20 points, nine boards and a strong defensive effort against Georgetown center Joshua Smith. Against Butler, Stainbrook – known for his Rec-Specs and rebounding prowess – had 13 points and 10 boards, leading his team in both categories.
Senior guard Dee Davis has been a rock despite a bad shooting night on Friday, playing 82 minutes over the two games, including every second of the Georgetown win. Davis has been at the front of a defense that hasn’t allowed either Big East Tournament opponent to shoot over 40%. Another key to the Musketeer success so far in New York has been a strong effort from their bench, which has outscored their opponents 46-8 this postseason.
“We came here to win a Big East Championship,” said Davis Friday night after the game. “We didn’t come here to beat Georgetown. We came here to win a Big East championship. So that’s our plan.”
The Musketeers lost in the semifinals to Doug McDermott’s Creighton squad last year, which was their first trip to the Garden for a conference tournament as a new member of the Big East. They’ll play No. 1 seed Villanova for the title, a Wildcats team that barely held on against Providence in the first semifinal of the night, prevailing 63-61 on a pair of late free throws.
“We’re not going to change a whole lot,” said Mack about the quick-turnaround before playing Villanova, who will be looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. "They shoot the ball pretty well, I hear.”
Xavier lost both regular season matchups against Villanova but could earn their third straight win over a ranked opponent with an upset. The Musketeers will likely be without freshman guard J.P. Macura, who hit a pair of threes in the first half Friday night before leaving with an ankle injury. In the postgame press conference Mack said he didn’t think it looked good but didn’t know for sure when he would be available.
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Gritty Xavier survives near-disaster against Georgetown, advances to Big East title game
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