Xavier shakes off DePaul, continues to make NCAA case
NEW YORK – Come March, it’s difficult to avoid bubble talk, no matter who you are.
Last four in, first four out, next four out. As buckets fall and brackets swirl, if you’re a team lucky – or unlucky – enough to have your season inevitably wind up in the hands of the selection committee it can be an emotional roller coaster.
Xavier knows how fragile this process can be.
A Musketeers team that not too long ago seemed like a lock to go dancing entered the Big East tournament needing a break in order to keep its hopes alive.
Xavier, which clinched its fourth consecutive 20-win season Wednesday night, caught its break when the bracket was decided. DePaul, the only team the Musketeers have beaten since February 8, would be their first round opponent.
Turns out that the Musketeers also needed a half of basketball to block the bubble talk out of their minds. Xavier entered the locker room at halftime trailing 31-30, facing a potentially résumé-crippling loss.
“I told our team I thought our first 20 minutes of the game we didn’t play great. I think we were pressing,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said. “I don’t blame them. They’re kids. They want to play in the dance.”
More good fortune came as junior guard Trevon Bluiett, Xavier’s leading scorer, found his stroke after starting the game 0-for-8 from the field, finishing with a game-high 17 points.
“Some of the shots I was taking were pretty good, just fell in and out,” Bluiett said. “When I get lost in the game, make great passes, play hard defense, everything else will follow.”
The fact that the Musketeers are in this situation is the result of a bad break. After star guard Edmond Sumner tore his ACL in January, the Musketeers went 4-6 the rest of the season, including a six-game losing streak last month that put their NCAA tournament hopes on life support.
“We’re not as deep a team as we used to be,” Mack said. “We don’t have a luxury [of depth]. I think our team’s adjusted. It’s just we’re a little bit different team.”
Among the other luxuries Mack and the Musketeers won’t have anymore is DePaul on their schedule or a half of basketball to figure things out.
Xavier’s 75-64 win over DePaul on Wednesday doesn’t by any stretch make it safely on the right side of 68, but a victory against No. 18 Butler in the quarterfinals – that would be a different story.
“I don’t know [if we’re in the tournament],” Mack said. “I just know we got a big challenge tomorrow. We lived to fight another day.”
Xavier’s earned at least one more day to make its case, but can it catch another break – or will the Musketeers’ bubble finally burst?
