Xavier topples Arizona for shot at No. 1 Gonzaga
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not long after losing to Arizona's Sean Miller at the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Xavier coach Chris Mack jokingly said his friend should let him win the next one.
Their meeting Thursday night was no gift between former colleagues. The Musketeers earned this one and now they're headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in a decade.
Trevon Bluiett kept Xavier close with a big first half and the Musketeers made the clutch plays down the stretch against the West Region's No. 2 seed, pulling off a 73-71 upset of Arizona (32-5).
“I personally have so much respect for Sean and his staff,” Mack said. “I know it's heartbreaking for them because they had a special year, a special season and I know it's tough. But today is a Xavier day.”
Xavier (24-13) fought through a string of injuries and a late losing streak to reach the NCAA Tournament, then opened with a pair of upsets last weekend in Orlando. The Musketeers passed their biggest test to date with confident performance against one of college basketball's storied programs.
Bluiett scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half to help Xavier keep up with the athletic Wildcats. The Musketeers tracked down Arizona after it tried to pull away in the second half, getting a late basket inside by Sean O'Mara while shutting down one of the nation's best offensive teams down the stretch.
Next up is their first Elite Eight since 2008 and third overall, a showdown with No. 1 seed Gonzaga today.
“We're all tough guys. We stuck together,” said Xavier's J.P Macura, who had 14 points. “We're not really backing down from anyone.”
Bill Self and Dana Altman first matched wits more than two decades ago when Self was trying to turn around tiny Oral Roberts and Altman was attempting the same in his first season at Creighton. The young coaches combined to win 17 games that season. Both eventually succeeded in their rebuilding jobs to the point they kept getting bigger and more glamorous offers elsewhere. Self would head off to Tulsa and Illinois before arriving at Kansas, where he has the top-seeded Jayhawks one game away from his third Final Four, while Altman would one day land at Oregon, which at 32-5 takes on Kansas tonight in Sprint Center, the glass-enclosed downtown arena that happens to sit about 40 minutes from the Jayhawks’ campus in Lawrence.
Neither coach could have imagined it when they faced off that November night in 1994.
“I've known Bill for a very long time,” Altman conceded, pointing out they were also assistants in the Big Eight before becoming head coaches. “Bill has a way of getting the best out of each of his team. He's always been at great programs and made them better.”
This may be his best, too — better even than his 2008 national-title team.
The top-seeded Jayhawks (31-5) roared into the Midwest Regional final with an average margin of victory of 30 points, dusting aside Big Ten champion Purdue on Thursday night in Kansas City. They played at such a high level in the second half that Boilermakers coach Matt Painter, always willing to give credit where it's due, stopped just short of calling the Jayhawks invincible.
Frank Mason III has become the front-runner for national player of the year. Devonte Graham has poured in 3-pointers at a record-setting rate. And star freshman Josh Jackson has brushed off his many off-the-court issues to send his NBA draft stock soaring.