March Madness personified in Xavier’s comeback win in First Four

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WATCH: Sean Miller, Freemantle, Conwell, McKnight on NCAA Tournament

Xavier head coach Sean Miller and players discuss the “magical” Selection Sunday moment when the Musketeers were picked for the NCAA Tournament.

DAYTON, Ohio – The comeback. The dunk. The eruption. The victory.

And then the chants that echoed throughout one of college basketball’s great venues late Wednesday night: Let’s go X! Let’s go X! Let’s go X!

It was goose-bumps special, perhaps one of the most memorable nights in Xavier University’s storied basketball history. It was the beauty of the NCAA Tournament on full display at packed UD Arena.

Zach Freemantle, of all people, put the exclamation point on Xavier’s 86-80 win over Texas in front of a Musketeer-friendly crowd in the First Four. The sixth-year forward – who had to overcome three foot surgeries and a coaching change before finally getting to play in the NCAA Tournament – let it all out with his emphatic two-handed dunk with one second left.

He hung on the rim. It was like a release, an exhale for a team that had been buried in a double-digit hole. The crowd got so loud you almost needed to plug your ears.

It was March Madness kind of madness, as thousands of the Xavier fans who made the short drive up I-75 hung around and celebrated. Miller walked off the court with both arms held above his head, fists clinched as he looked up in the stands.

“That was one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of,” said Miller, who’s taken the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament twice since returning for this second go-round at Xavier three seasons ago.

“It felt like a home game,” Xavier guard Marcus Foster said.

The Musketeers overcame a 13-point deficit against a rugged SEC team. Survive and advance. It seems like the Musketeers have been doing that for weeks. They had to overcome Freemantle’s knee injury in December. They had to overcome losing 4 of their first 5 Big East games, burying themselves in must-win mode by mid-February.

And…

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Source link : https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/columnists/jason-williams/2025/03/20/xavier-musketeers-comeback-win-texas-longhorns-first-four-march-madness-dayton/82556646007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-20 06:16:00

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