'It gives us confidence.' Takeaways from Xavier's win over UC in Crosstown Shootout

If Xavier had a confidence problem after Tuesday's 87-80 loss to Delaware − the Musketeers' third straight defeat at Cintas Center − then Saturday's 84-79 win over UC in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout was a step in the right direction.

No, more like a running leap in the right direction.

"You're in the week leading to the Crosstown Shootout and things don't go well. We could've limped around or blamed each other and had a couple days where we're stuck in the mud," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. "Our guys went right back to work."

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Miller said Tuesday was the "moment of truth" for the season and Xavier responded accordingly. The Musketeers turned in their best all-around performance of the year in capturing a momentous fifth straight victory in the rivalry.

Xavier sets the tone

Miller credited the crowd, which included students camping out overnight for the biggest game on the schedule. Xavier fed off the crowd early and for the first time during its current six-game homestand set the tone with its defense.

UC's perimeter shooting was an emphasis for Xavier's defense and the Musketeers were able to blanket the Bearcats from beyond the arc. Xavier took a 4-2 lead early in the game and stayed in front for the remainder of the first half, holding UC to just 12-of-40 from the floor and 1-of-13 from three-point range.

"I thought with our collective will and fighting all the way to the very end, we had a lot of very good moments," Miller said of the defense.

Musketeers weather the storm

UC was able to make its run directly out of the locker room, sinking its first six shots of the second half and taking its first lead of the game (41-40) with 16:10 left in regulation.

Xavier had an answer and led by as many as 12 in the final minutes before a 10-2 UC spurt cut the lead to 70-66 with 3:46 left. Xavier again had a response, coming up with back-to-back crucial stops and holding UC without a field goal for nearly three minutes to pull away.

"I think we learned from that and were able to overcome that today," Xavier forward Abou Ousmane said.

Xavier's leaders rise to the occasion

Quincy Olivari was the bright spot for Xavier over its three-game losing streak. On Saturday, the Rice transfer was the driving force behind a potential season-altering victory.

With UC leading 45-44 with 13:52 left, Olivari hit three-pointers on three of Xavier's ensuing six possession to bolster a 13-2 run when the Musketeers needed it the most. Olivari had a four-point play to extend Xavier's lead to double figures and went 9-for-9 at the free-throw line to finish with a game-high 27 points (6-of-8 from deep).

Olivari was also the primary defender on C.J. Fredrick, UC's leading 3-point shooter. Fredrick finished scoreless (0-for-4) over 21-plus minutes.

"We're not only getting the offense from Quincy; Quincy's also playing some really good defense," Miller said. "His confidence, his energy is something our team needs and our players are feeding off of him."

Miller outlined his four leaders − Olivari, Ousmane, Desmond Claude and Dayvion McKnight − and how the plan was to give them more freedom on Saturday.

McKnight responded with a season-high 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. The WKU transfer matched his 3-point total on the year Saturday, connecting twice from deep including a crucial triple to make it 75-68 with 1:32 left.

Ousmane, who was just reinserted into the starting lineup on Tuesday, had his first double-double as a Musketeer (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Claude had 11 points, 6 boards and 6 assists.

"Those are our four leaders," Miller said. "Only one of those players have played in a Crosstown Shootout before (Claude), but I thought all four of them were really good in tonight's game."

'Our best days are in front of us.'

Much has been made of Xavier's start to the season, but there's little doubt the Musketeers were battle-tested with a laborious non-conference schedule against some of the nation's best teams.

Being able to bounce back in a big way Saturday shows the kind of growth Miller and company have been looking for.

It's not a one-day fix, but a sign this team has the potential to gel and play its best basketball down the road. The focus now shifts to if Xavier can sustain its stretches of quality play against the remaining tests on the schedule.

"I do think our upside is there. Our best basketball is in our future," Miller said. "You win a game like tonight, it's a step in the right direction that hopefully propels us to play better when we play Winthrop on Saturday.

"Can you go from this game, have a great week and be better a week from today? We're gonna keep moving forward, but I'm proud of our team."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout: Xavier shows promise in beating UC