XAVIER REACHES FIRST SWEET 16 SINCE 2017
Sean Miller has unselfish Xavier back in the Sweet 16.
Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15 on five first-half 3-pointers, and No. 3 seed Xavier beat 11th-seeded Pittsburgh 84-73 on Sunday at Greensboro, N.C., to advance to the
NCAA Tournament’s second week for the first time since 2017.
Colby Jones had 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and Souley Boum and Jerome Hunter each chipped in with 14 points as all five Xavier starters scored in double digits.
Xavier entered the game leading the country in assists per game (19.2) and had 17 on 19 baskets in the first half to build a 48-34 lead at the break.
The Musketeers finished with 22 assists.
The victory came exactly one year after Miller agreed to return as Xavier’s coach.
He had coached the Musketeers from 2004-09, helping them reach the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight once before leaving for Arizona. This will be Miller’s first regional semifinal appearance since 2018 with the Wildcats.
Miller said he never doubted he could still win, but gave the credit to his players.
“I have an amazing group to work with,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of coaches that could win with this team, and I recognize that. My hope is that we have more in us, that we’re able to have a great week and make what we already feel good about even better.”
Xavier (27-9) moves on to play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday
in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.
Blake Hinson scored 18 points and Jamarius Burton had 16 for Pitt (24-12).
It was the second straight game Nunge came up big for Xavier. The 7-foot center had a critical blocked shot in the closing seconds of the Musketeers’ 72-67 first-round win over 14th-seeded Kennesaw State.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment ever since I started watching basketball,” Nunge said. “When you are in school, you are thrilled when your teachers
let you turn on the game and not have to focus on class. And so March Madness is a special time of year. It’s the best tournament in the world.”
No. 5 Miami 85, No. 4 Indiana 69:
At Albany, N.Y., Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller led a decisive second-half spurt for Miami, which beat Indiana to reach its second straight Sweet 16.
Wong, the ACC player of the year who was limited to five points in a first-round win over Drake, had 27 points and eight rebounds for coach Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes (27-7), the only ACC team left
in March Madness.
Miller, who had seven points on Friday, scored 19, while Indianapolis native Nijel Pack had 10 of his 12 points in the first half, getting Miami off to a fast start that allowed it to lead most of the game and end Indiana’s hopes of a sixth national title.
Miami will face topseeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday.
All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers (23-12), who have not been to the Sweet 16 since 2016.