Written by Eamonn Brennan at ESPN.com
The Musketeers had given it a real go. They had been unstoppable on the offensive end and crafty enough on defense, and they were typically relentless on the boards. They had played Arizona even for 32 minutes, something few teams had managed this season. They had acquitted themselves well. But now Allonzo Trier was cooking, and Kadeem Allen had hit a 3-pointer, and the shots had stopped falling. Arizona had opened up a 69-61 lead with 3 minutes, 45 seconds to play, and, hey, great run, and now it was time to go home.
Xavier knocked off No. 2 Arizona 73-71 on Thursday. Xavier will play in the Elite Eight.
We should have known better, huh?
If the past few weeks have taught us anything about the Musketeers, it is that nothing is as simple as it appears. A team that lost six games in a row in February and early March, that didn’t know for sure it was getting in the NCAA tournament until its name was (the very last!) called on Selection Sunday, that upended Maryland and then throttled No. 3 seed Florida State — why would that team fade away?
Why would Xavier, despite all appearances to the contrary, suddenly decide to acknowledge the existence of its own ceiling? Why would the Musketeers start acting as if their past three weeks have been anything other than normal?
Because of a measly eight-point margin in the final four minutes against a 32-4 Pac-12 regular-season and conference tournament champion? Pfft. Not likely.
“It’s no surprise to us,” star guard Trevon Bluiett said. “This is no Cinderella, or whatever you call it. This is no underdog. It’s just us going out and playing.”
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