The No. 11 Xavier Musketeers have continued their magical run in the NCAA tournament, as on Thursday night they upset the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 73-71 in the Sweet 16.
NCAA tournament 2017: No. 11 Xavier upsets No. 2 Arizona 73-71 in Sweet 16
Xavier is headed to the Elite Eight!
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
In all three of Xavier’s victories in this NCAA tournament, the Musketeers have knocked off a higher seed. First it was the No. 6 Maryland Terrapins in the first round, then the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles in the second round. With the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines getting bounced by the No. 3 Oregon Ducks on Thursday, it’s safe to say the Musketeers are the new Cinderella team of the tournament.
Musketeers guard Trevon Bluiett had an impressive outing, finishing with 25 points even after spending some minutes on the bench in the second half with three fouls. J.P. Macura added another 14 points.
Inside five minutes to go, the Wildcats’ baskets started falling, and with an eight-point lead it looked like Arizona would be able to pull away. But Xavier tied it up with just under two minutes to go in the game, and pulled it out in the end. Xavier finished the game on a 12-2 run.
Arizona guard Allonzo Trier led the Wildcats’ scoring effort in the loss, with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Next up for Xavier is the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who beat the No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers earlier Thursday evening 61-58. The Musketeers are the seventh No. 11 seed to advance to the Elite Eight in NCAA tournament history.
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