I must give Xavier a ton of credit. They executed their game plan almost to perfection and pulled out the win. Stainbrook was a beast down low and forced us to change our defense a few times in order to stop them. I don't know how they lost 13 games including three to Georgetown with the way they are able to play; clearly a focused team that was well coached and nearly found a way to win.
It also shows the toughness of our team. BAsh, RHJ, and Zeus all struggled on offense but more than made up for it on defense especially when it mattered most. The best defensive play in my opinion was BAsh on Stainbrook late in the game with X trying to regain some momentum. Stainbrook wanted to go baseline and BAsh held his ground forcing a wild hook shot that wasn't even close.
Not every game is going to be smooth and go according to plan. Sometimes you just have to win ugly and be grateful. Wipe the sweat off your brow, blow out a big sigh of relief, and get back to work. Tomorrow is the biggest game of the season. Which is also why we struggled in this one, a little too much attention being given to Wisconsin and not enough on Xavier. Grateful for the win, grateful for the heart and fight in this team. Now let's go to the Final 4!