College basketball: Xavier beats top-ranked Villanova

I’m not saying he deserves to be in consideration for a lottery pick, but what do you think of this comparison between Bluiett and the stretch 4 from Duke who might be the No. 1 pick in June?

This is Villanova’s third week as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. You want to a.be the No. 1 team or b. beat the No. 1 team. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Xavier at No. 2. Some teams are safely in the Dance, but no team is safe in its seeding yet, with less than a month to play.

A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament could be riding on the outcome, pending their probable matchup in the Big East Tournament finals. They have two games remaining, including Seton Hall on Sunday and Creighton next week. They need all three wins. With solid complementary wins over Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Florida State, the Tigers are still hanging onto one of the final four slots in the field.

Freshman Tyler Davis had 15 points for the Aggies (21-7, 10-5 SEC). “That’s the frustration…. I have to learn from the ticky-tack fouls that I picked up, some situations where I could not foul and hopefully stay on the floor and continue to help our team in any way I can”.

“He puts pressure on himself”, Wright said.

Notre Dame (19-8, 10-5 ACC) has prevailed in seven of its last eight games in the state of North Carolina. If they can knock off Temple at home on Tuesday, they could find themselves on the right side of the bubble. There’s so much to like about these Musketeers, but the fact that so many of them can step up at any time might be the best of all.

For Xavier, this was a must win game, and they thrived.

If I told you before the game that Villanova would make 12 threes and hit 50% of their shots from inside the arc, how would that have made you feel?

On the season, Villanova basketball averages 76.1 points, 36.6 rebounds and 15.8 assists per game. But that wasn’t enough as the Tar Heels beat the Orange 84-73. It would have been better to give up the two points.

That’s not to suggest that the Muskies won in a blowout, because they didn’t. Valparaiso is the better team, but this will be a hard challenge for the Crusaders on Friday night.

Xavier’s 40-37 halftime advantage was gone after a single Villanova possession in the second half, when rugged Kris Jenkins took Bluiett into the middle of the lane and drew an and-one on a jump hook.

Xavier got ahead by 15 points late and held on with free throws. The die is certainly not cast yet on the ACC pecking order, and the same is also true in the Big Ten. Miami plays Virginia and Louisville this week. They are tied for second place, one game behind Duquesne, with one game remaining. The loss to Louisville isn’t ideal, but Duke is still on the upswing.

We already had the Musketeers projected for a No. 1 seed before this game began, but their profile was lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. “They just played smart”.

Sword led Mississippi State (12-15, 5-10) with 24 points and Weatherspoon added 14.

What’s Next For Both Teams?

The teams don’t meet again in the regular season, though both will be favored to reach the conference tournament championship. The Mountaineers host Iowa State on Monday and visit Oklahoma State on Saturday.