The Xavier Musketeers technically didn’t have a home court advantage in Wednesday’s First Four men’s NCAA Tournament game, but try telling that to the Texas Longhorns.
Playing in Dayton, Ohio — just 47 miles from its campus in Cincinnati — Xavier staged a second-half rally to defeat Texas 86-80 and advance to the first round of the NCAA’s Midwest Regional.
Trailing by double figures midway through the second half, Xavier gained momentum with help from its fans and guard Marcus Foster, who scored a season-high 22 points, 16 of them coming after halftime.
‘One of the greatest games I’ve been a part of,’ Musketeers coach Sean Miller said. ‘The energy of the crowd, our fans certainly took advantage of the proximity to Cincinnati. That emotion when we needed them, it was certainly a factor in the game.’
Battling foull trouble the entire night, Xavier big man Zach Freemantle put Xavier ahead for good with just under two minutes left with a basket to make it 80-78.
He then finished things off with an emphatic dunk for the game’s final points.
‘It was a very hard-fought game. That’s a very good team we just played, and I’m just thankful to be a part of it,’ said Freemantle, who scored 15 points in the win.
The emotions were still running high as the Musketeers left the court. While receiving congratulations from fans, Freemantle donned a cowboy hat and flashed the dreaded ‘Horns Down’ gesture toward whatever Texas fans still remained in UD Arena.
The No. 11-seeded Musketeers will next face Midwest No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday in Milwaukee.