On a first night of the Sweet 16 where the other three higher seeds had already advanced by an average of 19 points, Arizona decided to make things a little more entertaining. The second-seeded Wildcats trailed for a majority of the second half before making enough plays down the stretch to escape with a 68-60 win.
Xavier vs. Arizona 2015 results: 3 things we learned from the Wildcats’ 68-60 win
Arizona and Wisconsin both faced stiff challenges Thursday night, but in the end, we’re all getting the Elite Eight rematch we hoped we’d see.
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Arizona’s typical balanced scoring attack was on full display, as three players scored in double figures, but none scored more than T.J. McConnell’s 17. The Wildcats shot a fairly pedestrian 40.7 percent from the field, but were stellar at the free throw line, where they connected on 17 of their 19 attempts..
Arizona also triumphed on a night where star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was limited after he suffered a scary-looking knee injury during the first half.
The sophomore forward returned to the game and was on the floor for most of second half’s crucial stretches, but he finished with just 5 points and 2 rebounds.
Big man Matt Stainbrook was a force for Xavier all night long, finishing with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Arizona had outrebounded its first two tournament opponents by an average of 16.5 rpg, but they won the war of the boards by a final total of only 33-31 on Thursday. While the Musketeers had some serious success in the paint, they could never find the touch from deep, finishing just 3 of 17 from behind the three-point line.
Here are three more things we learned from Arizona’s big Sweet 16 win:
1. Sean Miller is one win away from getting over the hump and into his first Final Four
It's been 14 years since Sean Miller started as an assistant at Xavier, a program where he wound up serving as the head coach from 2004-09. Miller led the Musketeers to six NCAA Tournament victories, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2008, and a run to the Sweet 16 in 2009. He then bounced for Arizona, where he's been able to get the Wildcats to the Elite Eight twice, but still never over the hump and into the tournament's final weekend.
In all, Miller has won 17 NCAA Tournament games and advanced to the second weekend of the big dance six times, but he’s still in the running for the title of “best active coach to never make a Final Four.” That can all be changed with one more victory thanks to Miler’s triumph over his former school.
2. Everybody loves Matt Stainbrook, but he’s also a really good basketball player
America’s March crush on Stainbrook was on full display once again on Thursday night.
Could see Matt Stainbrook Xavier jerseys being a big seller tomorrow... If schools did that sort of thing.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 27, 2015 Matt Stainbrook acknowledges and openly endorses the nickname "STAINTRAIN," which is pretty much all you need to know about him
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) March 27, 2015 If the NBA cannot find a way to extend Matt Stainbrook's basketball career then it is a creative failure
— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) March 27, 2015 It’s all perfectly understandable. Stainbrook looks incredibly goofy, he drives an Uber in his spare time (have guys heard that story yet?), and he says some pretty hilarious stuff when he’s off the court. The only downside to all the positive attention he gets for this is that it sort of detracts from the fact that he is a hell of a basketball player.
Despite having a hoard of super athletic forwards to accompany Kaleb Tarczewski, a pretty solid center in his own right, Arizona had zero answer for Stainbrook on Thursday night. The Musketeer big man finished with as many points (17) as any other player on the floor, and more rebounds (10) than anyone outside of Tarczewski (12). It was a memorable final performance for the senior.
3. We’re all getting the Wisconsin-Arizona rematch we wanted
Everyone not associated with the Wildcats and Badgers was excited to see the two teams paired up in the same region again when the brackets were released on Selection Sunday. That’s because a year ago, they played a classic in the Elite Eight, and both teams appear to be even stronger one year later.
If the rematch is anything like the 2014 game, then we’re all in for a treat.
The Badgers clinched their first trip to the Final Four of the Bo Ryan era and their first, period, since 2000 by knocking off the top-seeded Wildcats by a point in an overtime thriller. Frank Kaminsky continued his tournament tear by scoring a game-high 28 points, including a three that put the Badgers ahead with 4:33 to play. With Wisconsin clinging to a 54-52 lead with under a minute to play, it was unexpected Arizona hero Hollis-Jefferson who slammed home a Nick Johnson airball to tie the game with 30.9 seconds left.
The game stayed tight during an extra period which included perhaps the most controversial call of the 2014 tournament.
With the Wildcats trailing by one and less than 10 seconds to play, Johnson drove to the basket but was whistled for an offensive foul after extending his off-arm. A Wisconsin turnover on the succeeding inbounds play gave Johnson one more chance to send his team to the Final Four, but his potential game-winner was after the buzzer and off the mark.
Arizona has had to sit around with that pain for a whole year, but a shot at sweet, sweet revenge is now just a little less than 48 hours away.
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