http://nypost.com/2017/03/24/bill-murrays-xavier-pulls-off-stunner-to-reach-elite-eight/
[h=1]Bill Thankyou)(&Murray’s Xavier pulls off stunner to reach Elite Eight[/h]By Mark Cannizzaro
March 24, 2017 | 1:18am | Updated
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<source srcset="https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/murray.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1328&h=882&crop=1 2x, https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/murray.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=664&h=441&crop=1 1x" media="(min-width: 640px)"><source srcset="https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/murray.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=600&h=400&crop=1 2x, https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/murray.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=300&h=200&crop=1 1x" media="(max-width: 639px)">
</picture>Bill Murray, whose son, Luke, is an assistant coach at Xavier, celebrates during the Musketeers' 73-71 upset victory on Thursday night.Getty Images
[h=3]MORE ON:[/h][h=6]MARCH MADNESS[/h]
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — No one remaining in this NCAA Tournament wants a part of Xavier. No one.
Arizona, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, found that out Thursday night when the No. 11 seeded Musketeers delivered a 73-71 upset victory at the SAP Center.
The win advances Xavier, which was the lowest remaining seed in the tournament, to Saturday’s 6:09 p.m. Elite Eight game against No. 1 seed Gonzaga with a precious Final Four berth on the line.
“Xavier is capable of beating anyone,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
Miller should know. He was the head coach at Xavier from 2004-09 and current Xavier head coach Chris Mack was his top assistant for him in his final five years at the school. The two remain close.
“I wish them nothing but a great journey,’’ Miller said. “I hope they go all the way.’’
There has not been a more clutch team in the country the last month than the 24-13 Musketeers, who are now 6-1 in elimination games dating back to their must-win regular-season finale at DePaul and their run to the Big East semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Xavier took the 73-71 lead with 44.1 seconds remaining on a Sean O’Mara basket.
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“I think their coach is awesome,’’ Miller said of Mack. “He had his way with us tonight. He called plays, after timeouts, underneath out of bounds, he got his players some great shots.’’
That O’Mara game-winner, which was virtually uncontested under the rim, was Exhibit A to what Miller was talking about. It was a play Mack called during a timeout. And it worked to perfection, and Xavier super fan Bill Murray — whose son, Luke, is an assistant coach — went home happy.
Arizona’s Allonzo Trier, who led the Wildcats with 19 points, missed a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining and Xavier celebrated wildly on the floor.
“I just really didn’t want our season to end,’’ said Xavier’s Malcolm Bernard, who scored 15 points. “We worked so hard, not only in the offseason but throughout the year battling adversity, and I just didn’t think it was time for our season to end.’’
Arizona looked like it might be en route to ending Xavier’s magical run when it broke a 61-61 game and turned it into a 69-61 lead with 3:40 remaining, but Xavier clawed its way back into the game.
Mack implored his players to “not try to get it all back in one or two possessions.’’
“We weren’t perfect in the second half,’’ Mack said. “But we were in the last three or four minutes of the game.’’
<figure id="attachment_10824143" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="margin: 13px 20px 18px 0px; display: table !important; float: left; max-width: 100%; height: auto; position: relative; clear: both;">Modal Trigger
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 16px; padding-top: 7px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Quentin Goodin celebrates after Xavier’s upset win.Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Musketeers tied it at 71-71 with 1:54 remaining on two free throws by Trevon Bluitt, who carried Xavier with a game-high 25 points.
From there, neither team scored, with Arizona flummoxed by Xavier’s changing zone defenses, until O’Mara made the game-winning shot from under the basket.
Arizona, which has now failed to get to a Final Four under Miller in his eight seasons at the school, took a 37-35 lead into halftime despite shooting 14-of-34 from the field (41.2 percent) and 3-of-16 from 3-point range (18.8 percent).
“It’s never easy when it ends, especially if you have a great team or had a great season,’’ Miller said. “I think it’s always important … that we define our own success. And I think if you’re a team that is 32-5, you win both the Pac-12 regular season and also the Pac-12 Tournament, and our journey ends in the Sweet 16, it’s hard to look at that as not getting it done or failure.
“But our goal and aspiration is always to challenge for a Final Four and get there. And we pulled up short.’’
Mack called it “heartbreaking’’ for Miller’s team to lose this game “because they had a special year.’’
“But,’’ Mack added, “today is an Xavier day.’’
[h=1]Bill Thankyou)(&Murray’s Xavier pulls off stunner to reach Elite Eight[/h]By Mark Cannizzaro
March 24, 2017 | 1:18am | Updated
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[h=3]MORE ON:[/h][h=6]MARCH MADNESS[/h]
[h=5][/h]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — No one remaining in this NCAA Tournament wants a part of Xavier. No one.
Arizona, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, found that out Thursday night when the No. 11 seeded Musketeers delivered a 73-71 upset victory at the SAP Center.
The win advances Xavier, which was the lowest remaining seed in the tournament, to Saturday’s 6:09 p.m. Elite Eight game against No. 1 seed Gonzaga with a precious Final Four berth on the line.
“Xavier is capable of beating anyone,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
Miller should know. He was the head coach at Xavier from 2004-09 and current Xavier head coach Chris Mack was his top assistant for him in his final five years at the school. The two remain close.
“I wish them nothing but a great journey,’’ Miller said. “I hope they go all the way.’’
There has not been a more clutch team in the country the last month than the 24-13 Musketeers, who are now 6-1 in elimination games dating back to their must-win regular-season finale at DePaul and their run to the Big East semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Xavier took the 73-71 lead with 44.1 seconds remaining on a Sean O’Mara basket.
<article class="story-photo-box oversize-headline" style="position: relative;">
</article>
“I think their coach is awesome,’’ Miller said of Mack. “He had his way with us tonight. He called plays, after timeouts, underneath out of bounds, he got his players some great shots.’’
That O’Mara game-winner, which was virtually uncontested under the rim, was Exhibit A to what Miller was talking about. It was a play Mack called during a timeout. And it worked to perfection, and Xavier super fan Bill Murray — whose son, Luke, is an assistant coach — went home happy.
Arizona’s Allonzo Trier, who led the Wildcats with 19 points, missed a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining and Xavier celebrated wildly on the floor.
“I just really didn’t want our season to end,’’ said Xavier’s Malcolm Bernard, who scored 15 points. “We worked so hard, not only in the offseason but throughout the year battling adversity, and I just didn’t think it was time for our season to end.’’
Arizona looked like it might be en route to ending Xavier’s magical run when it broke a 61-61 game and turned it into a 69-61 lead with 3:40 remaining, but Xavier clawed its way back into the game.
Mack implored his players to “not try to get it all back in one or two possessions.’’
“We weren’t perfect in the second half,’’ Mack said. “But we were in the last three or four minutes of the game.’’
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From there, neither team scored, with Arizona flummoxed by Xavier’s changing zone defenses, until O’Mara made the game-winning shot from under the basket.
Arizona, which has now failed to get to a Final Four under Miller in his eight seasons at the school, took a 37-35 lead into halftime despite shooting 14-of-34 from the field (41.2 percent) and 3-of-16 from 3-point range (18.8 percent).
“It’s never easy when it ends, especially if you have a great team or had a great season,’’ Miller said. “I think it’s always important … that we define our own success. And I think if you’re a team that is 32-5, you win both the Pac-12 regular season and also the Pac-12 Tournament, and our journey ends in the Sweet 16, it’s hard to look at that as not getting it done or failure.
“But our goal and aspiration is always to challenge for a Final Four and get there. And we pulled up short.’’
Mack called it “heartbreaking’’ for Miller’s team to lose this game “because they had a special year.’’
“But,’’ Mack added, “today is an Xavier day.’’
