Xavier storms back to upset Butler and leave the bubble behind for good
It seems like every year we talk about the projected NCAA Tournament field having a "soft bubble" entering Championship Week but this year, that bubble included about 15 teams, making it especially soft.
If there is one team that has seemingly played their way off of the bubble, it is the Xavier Musketeers. After beating DePaul in their Big East Tournament opener, the seventh-seeded Musketeers doubled down on Thursday, beating No. 2 seed Butler 62-57 at Madison Square Garden.
With the win (and the help of other teams losing across the country) it looks like Xavier has finally, mercifully, unofficially punched their ticket to the Big Dance.
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Poor Xavier probably shouldn't have been in this situation to begin with. But thanks to a slow finish down the stretch - due to things largely out of their control - it entered the Big East Tournament in an uncertain situation.
Things started out well for the Musketeers, who after beating St. John's on January 29th, stood at 15-6 overall and were ranked No. 24 in the country. Unfortunately, during that game, star guard Edmond Sumner suffered a season-ending ACL injury and everything went downhill from there. Xavier went 4-6 finish down the stretch, limping to a 19-12 overall record.
Entering the Big East Tournament, the general consensus was that Xavier deserved a spot in the field of 68, but only if it could avoid an opening-round loss to DePaul. Even after notching that win on Wednesday, it seemed like the Musketeers needed to beat Butler to really feel confident about their spot in the field. They entered the day as one of the "Last Four Byes" in FOX Sports' Thursday bracketology. A Big East quarterfinal win would push them off the bubble for good.
Xavier got that much-needed win -- and in the most emphatic way possible. The Musketeers trailed for most of the game and were down 49-42 with under eight minutes to play but took a one-point lead in the final minute of the game. Trevon Bluiett's floater with 17 seconds on the clock gave Xavier a three-point lead before A J.P. Macura's free throw and dunk at the buzzer iced the win.
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It also likely iced a tournament berth for the Musketeers.
Entering Friday night's semifinal, Xavier sits at 21-12 overall with wins over Big East rivals and presumed NCAA Tournament teams Butler, Providence, Creighton and Seton Hall. They also picked up key out-of-conference wins against Utah and Wake Forest.
Xavier's hot streak comes at a time when other bubble teams are faltering. ACC's Georgia Tech and Syracuse, the Big Ten's Iowa and Illinois and even Texas Tech in the Big 12 are all dropping like flies.
The Musketeers, however, are still standing. And come Sunday, they should be dancing.
