Xavier’s hopes of getting off the bubble and into the Big Dance could come down to whether or not they can top Villanova in the Big East semifinals tonight.
Just over a month ago, the Xavier Musketeers were left for dead by the national media. After falling 74-62 at home against DePaul, Xavier was 11-13 after a six game losing streak, all but burying them in the Big East.
What happened next was remarkable. The Musketeers responded by winning six of their next seven games, including victories over fellow bubble teams Seton Hall, St. John’s (a sweep no less) and Creighton (including yesterday’s win in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament).
Xavier is still alive, but they need to do more work to overcome their poor start. Fortunately for the X-Men, the Big East Tournament has delivered that opportunity to them with a matchup against a Villanova squad they beat during their recent hot streak.
The Wildcats, the Big East’s top seed, started their tournament run with a 73-62 victory over Providence yesterday afternoon. Senior Eric Paschall led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds for Villanova, which is looking to claim the conference tournament title to boost its seeding in March Madness.
Even though Villanova could really use this win, this contest could well be do-or-die for Xavier. A loss here would leave the Musketeers with an 18-15 record on Selection Sunday and a resume that includes awful losses to Missouri, Providence, and DePaul without a ton of great wins to counter them.
How to watch Xavier vs. Villanova
- Date: Friday, March 15
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: New York, NY
- Venue: Madison Square Garden
- TV: Fox Sports Network
- Live stream: Fox Sports Go
Whoever emerges from this game will play the winner of the Seton Hall-Marquette matchup for the Big East’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament tomorrow night.