No. 5 Xavier Exorcises The Demons And Defeats No. 1 Villanova

The Xavier Musketeers pulled off a stunner on a rainy Wednesday night. Using defense and a balanced scoring attack, the No. 5 Musketeers defeated No. 1 Villanova 90-83. The win helped Xavier boost itself in the eyes of the nation and the skeptical analysts. Moving up in the polls and winning 24 games wasn’t enough. They had to slay the beast from the east and overcome their demons.

This was one of the biggest victories in Xavier history. Since joining the Big East in 2013, Xavier was 0-6 against the Wildcats. Toppling the top ranked team in the nation should go a long way with doubters of the team. Most of those losses were serious blowouts. Head coach Chris Mack and the Musketeers finally solved the riddle and slipped by their rival.

“We knew we were capable of beating anybody in the country, but we had to prove ourselves against Villanova,” Xavier guard Myles Davis said triumphantly, via ESPN. “Especially if we wanted to go far in March or if we wanted people to pay attention to us.”

If the nation didn’t know who the Xavier Musketeers were, they undoubtedly have been schooled. Xavier dismantled the Wildcats on their home court, to prove the Big East has two Final Four contenders. By keeping the momentum and playing the way they did against Nova, Xavier has a legitimate chance at going all the way.

With the win, Xavier improves its chances at being a possible No. 1 seed in the tournament. That seeding is dependent on Xavier running the table in the Big East Tournament. There could even be another emotional clash between the Musketeers and the Wildcats.

The largest sellout crowd in history packed the Cintas Center. The insane cheering of 10,727 fans mad the atmosphere electric. One of the most underrated home courts was turned into a madhouse. Coach Chris Mack was proud of his team and commended Villanova, per Fox Sports. There was a hint of rematch to his remarks.

“If you’re a college basketball fan, you tuned in tonight. You saw some high-level basketball. You saw some teams competing their tails off. You saw some players that are going to play at the next level at some point for both sides.”

The run for the NCAA Championship is wide open. There have been six teams to grace the top spot of the AP Poll. With Xavier defeating Nova, there just may be another changing of the guard.

Xavier is primed to go deep into the tournament and has a chance at hoisting the trophy. The problem is experience. Xavier has never been that far before. The deepest march for them has been two Elite Eight appearances. Of the 16 titles won this century, only two were captured by coaches appearing in their first Final Four. Bill Self accomplished it in 2008, with Kansas. The Connecticut Huskies won with Kevin Ollie in 2014.

Chris Mack has built a powerhouse team that may be able to do it on the first try. They’re an unselfish bunch that just wants to do their best and win.

“We identified some talented players we felt wanted to get better,” Mack said. “We pride ourselves on developing our players.”

Xavier has developed into a serious threat. They did things to Villanova that most teams can’t. The Wildcats are sixth nationally in Team Rankings adjusted defense rankings, yet Xavier sliced and diced that defense for 50 percent shooting and an 24 assists on 30 made field goals.

Three Villanova players fouled out, and a fourth, Daniel Ochefu, dealt with foul trouble most of the night as Xavier went to the free throw line 33 times.

“You dream about this,” said Xavier’s freshman point guard Edmond Sumner. “So when the opportunity comes, it just comes naturally.”

With the Wildcats under their belt, the Musketeers now have bigger fish to fry.

[Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]