Two hours into the NCAA Tournament Thursday, a classic was already completed at Verizon Center.
Third-seeded Xavier escaped 14th-seed Georgia 73-61 that was a two-shot game until the final minute. Georgia led by 11 early in the second half before a 22-3 Xavier run later made the difference.
Fans clutched their brackets in fear at intermission. Bulldogs fans were woofing. The Musketeer crowd seemed worried until university president relented to “Father [Michael] Graham” chants and twirled his jacket in the air, which must be an inside victory sign at the Cincinnati school.
March Madness nearly produced another upset. Georgia continued its series of SEC Tournament shockers by leading 46-36 with 14:51 before Xavier completely disrupted the Bulldogs offense. Seven minutes later, Xavier finally led.
“We were a little tight the first half,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “That first game … playing a noon game … you lose this game and it’s almost like you never made the tournament. You’re gone so fast.”
Xavier wasn’t used to big games and good teams. The A-10 champions hadn’t beaten a serious quality team since surprising Kansas State on New Year’s Eve. Such lulls leave teams unprepared for the pressure of the NCAA Tournament and it easily showed on Xavier in the first half.
Georgia made it even tougher by continuing its recent surge after winning the SEC Tournament as a major sleeper. The Bulldogs were playing better than any 14 seed Xavier could have drawn despite the 17-16 record.
“If I had called the other No. 3 seeds and asked if they would trade with me before [the] game, I don’t know if I would have had any takers,” Miller said.
The Bulldogs felt no pressure and outplayed the Musketeers until the latter awakened with 15 minutes remaining. Maybe Xavier finally recalled blowing its chance postseason chance last year when falling in overtime to eventual finalist Ohio State. That near miss fueled the team for the past year. It was finally time for the Muskteers to forget that miss by winning in March once more.
“The thing that the Ohio State game means to this team is it made us very hungry to get back to the tournament this year,” Miller said. “We’ve clearly moved on from that.”
Ultimately, the Musketeers survived a bad first half. Xavier faces Purdue on Saturday after reviving a defense that frustrated Georgia and let the Musketeers take 28 more free throws.
Brackets were saved. Order was restored. The Big Dance has the right partners moving on.
“Every game takes on its own personality,” Miller said. “In a two-hour time period, a lot of different swings can happen.”
Hold on — there are 5 1/2 rounds to go.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
