‘They overwhelmed us.’ Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ loss to Villanova Wildcats

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PHILADELPHIA − An all-important Quadrant 1 victory was not in the cards for Xavier Sunday as another opportunity slipped through the Musketeers’ grasp in an 80-68 loss to Villanova at Wells Fargo Center.

With a front-loaded Big East schedule, Xavier’s chances to break off the NCAA Tournament bubble are few and far between down the stretch.

That’s why Sunday’s matchup was so critical to the Musketeers’ odds of dancing next month. Xavier falls to 1-9 in Quadrant 1 contests with the only win coming at Marquette Jan. 18. As the NCAA NET Rankings go, Sunday was Xavier’s last Quadrant 1 chance, although its home game vs. Creighton March 1 could become a Q1.

Xavier also came to Philadelphia tied with Villanova for fifth place in the Big East. The top five teams in the league get a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.

Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ loss to Villanova Wildcats

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Dante Maddox Jr. led three Musketeers in double figures with a season-high 24 points, Zach Freemantle finished with 18, and Marcus Foster scored 10 as Xavier fell, 80-68, at Villanova on Sunday.#LetsGoX | ALL IN

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— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) February 9, 2025

Villanova’s Eric Dixon dominates late as Wildcats pull away

The defensive gameplan for any team facing Villanova is centered around containing veteran forward Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.8 points per game.

Xavier held Dixon scoreless for nearly 13 minutes before he made his only bucket of the first half. Dixon was just 1-of-4 from the field over the opening 20 minutes but the Wildcats went 5-of-12 on 3-pointers with big afternoons from guards Wooga Poplar and Tyler Perkins.

Moments after Xavier had taken a 52-46 lead in the second half, Dixon woke up and scored 15 consecutive points for Villanova. He had back-to-back…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/overwhelmed-us-observations-xavier-musketeers-190620560.html

Author : The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-02-09 19:06:00

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