Rush the Court is providing NCAA Tournament coverage from start to finish over the next three weeks.
Three Key Takeaways.
- Xavier’s outside shooting was incredible. There are games when teams just catch fire from the outside and an opponent can do nothing to stop it. That occurred tonight with Xavier, as the Musketeers finished the game hitting a scorching 64.7 percent from the three-point line. What made this performance so impactful is that it was not just one guy who caught fire — the entire team contributed. Five different Musketeers connected from long range with reserve freshman forward Kaiser Gates leading the way with four conversions. Xavier’s marksmanship thus far in the NCAA Tournament — 50 percent through two games — is completely unexpected, as the Musketeers finished the regular season ranked 211th nationally at just 33.0 percent. It will be interesting to see if Xavier is able to keep up the hot shooting next week in San Jose.
- Florida State’s performance left plenty to be desired. Las Vegas made Florida State a 7.5-point favorite entering tonight’s game with good reason. The Seminoles have legitimate NBA talent across the roster in guards Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, along with forward Jonathan Isaac. Having that kind of talent advantage did not do them any good, though, as Xavier dominated the game for the entire 40 minutes. Florida State looked ill-prepared on both ends of the court, as it took bad shot after bad shot on one end and allowed the Musketeers open looks on the other. It also seems dumbfounding how the Seminoles have a player like Isaac — currently projected to be the ninth pick in this summer’s NBA Draft — manage only seven shot attempts. Florida State was a bit on an enigma for the entire season, and many doubted its ability win away from Tallahassee, so losing in blowout fashion to a #11 seed proves that those concerns had merit.
- Xavier’s chance in the Sweet Sixteen should not be discounted. A lesson the NCAA Tournament has taught college basketball fans since its inception is to never discount a hot team. Right now, despite being an overlooked #11 seed that lost six of its last seven regular season games, the Musketeers certainly qualify. Bluiett has been excellent in the NCAA Tournament, while supporting players such as guard J.P. Macura and forwards Tyrique Jones and Sean O’Mara have provided terrific complementary performances. Chris Mack has shown time and time again that he should be considered among the country’s best tacticians, and despite losing point guard Edmond Sumner for the season in late January, his team regrouped and found a way to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend.
Player of the Game. Trevon Bluiett, Xavier. The junior forward turned in another star performance in the victory, finishing the night with 29 points on a very efficient 8-of-14 shooting. Bluiett’s length in Xavier’s 2-3 zone also bothered Florida State’s offense all night, which aided with the Seminoles only shooting 40 percent for the game. Bluiett has been a standout player for much of his career at Xavier, but he has taken his game to another level in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Quotable.
- “We had not seen the size and athleticism that we saw tonight, but I think we passed both those tests.” – Xavier coach Chris Mack, expressing his pleasure with his team’s performance against a much bigger Florida State club.
- “That is what I love about this team — down the line, everyone is tough.” – Xavier guard J.P. Macura, when asked about the team’s resiliency after losing Sumner for the season.
- “I have to give Xavier a lot of credit. The things that had been good to us all season just did not happen tonight.” – Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, acknowledging that the Musketeers had a lot to with his team’s subpar performance.
Sights and Sounds. The very pro-Florida State crowd spent much of the evening in a state of shock about what was unfolding in front of them. They woke up in the final minute when Chris Mack called a timeout to get his walk-ons in the game. The crowd did not take too kindly to the maneuver, however, and loudly voiced its displeasure with him. Mack explained his reasoning after the game, adding that he did not mean any disrespect by it.
What’s Next. Xavier advances to the Sweet Sixteen in San Jose where it will play the winner of Arizona and Saint Mary’s on Thursday.