Another No. 1 gets X’d out

NASHVILLE — After UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed by dispatching Virginia on Friday, Xavier leading scorer Trevon Bluiett took to social media to rile up naysayers who believed his top-seeded team would be the first to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

One day later, Xavier had to settle for being the second No. 1 team to be bounced from the tournament.

Florida State’s P.J. Savoy hit a 3-pointer after Xavier’s second consecutive turnover to erase a 12-point deficit. The No. 9 seed Seminoles then drained crucial free throws in the final seconds to avenge their NCAA Tournament loss to Xavier last season, upsetting the Musketeers 75-70 at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday night.

FSU advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 2011 in dramatic fashion after trailing most of the second half and resiliently beating the No. 4 overall team in the tournament. The Seminoles have reached their second Sweet 16 under coach Leonard Hamilton and fifth in school history. The last time FSU reached the Elite Eight was 1993.

The Seminoles will play No. 4 seed Gonzaga, last season’s national runner-up, at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday. No. 3 seed Michigan and No. 7 seed Texas A&M also advanced in the west region of the tournament.

The young Seminoles had to overcome a strong Xavier start. The Musketeers went on a 17-4 run in the second half, extending their lead to double digits multiple times. But the Seminoles chipped away, trimming the deficit to two points with less than five minutes left after three consecutive driving layups, one by Terance Mann and two by Trent Forrest.

FSU tied the game with less than three minutes left after Mfiondu Kabengele followed two consecutive misses by Braian Angola with layups and drew a charge — Xavier guard J.P. Macura’s final foul.