NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed by dispatching Virginia on Friday, Xavier leading scorer Trevon Bluiett took to social media to rile up naysayers who believed his top-seeded team would be the first to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
One day later, Xavier had to settle for being the second No. 1 team to be bounced from the tournament.
Florida State’s P.J. Savoy hit a 3-pointer after Xavier’s second consecutive turnover to erase a 12-point deficit. The No. 9 seed Seminoles then drained crucial free throws in the final seconds to avenge their NCAA Tournament loss to the Xavier last season, upsetting the Musketeers 75-70 at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday night.
FSU advances to its first Sweet 16 since 2011 in dramatic fashion after trailing most of the second half and resiliently beating the No. 4 overall team in the tournament. The Seminoles have reached their second Sweet 16 under coach Leonard Hamilton and fifth in school history. The last time FSU reached the Elite Eight was 1993.
The Seminoles will play No. 4 seed Gonzaga, last season’s national runner-up, at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday. No. 3 seed Michigan and No. 7 seed Texas A&M also advanced in the west region of the tournament.
A season ago in Orlando, the Seminoles suffered a 25-point blowout loss in the second round to the Musketeers. It was a bitter ending to a historic FSU season, during which where the Seminoles were fueled by NBA rookies Jonathan Isaac, Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
Now, FSU’s relatively inexperienced group of supporting players turned into major contributors are primed for a deep NCAA Tournament run.
First, the young Seminoles had to overcome a strong Xavier start.
The Musketeers went on a 17-4 run in the second half, extending its lead to double digits multiple times.
But the Seminoles chipped away, trimming the deficit to two points with less than five minutes left after three consecutive driving layups, one by Terance Mann and two by Trent Forrest.
FSU tied the game with less than three minutes left after Mfiondu Kabengele followed two consecutive misses by Angola with layups and drew a charge — Xavier guard J.P. Macura’s final foul.
The Musketeers committed four turnovers in the final minutes, setting up Savoy’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Savoy and point guard C.J. Walker nailed free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
The Seminoles celebrated on the court in Bridgestone Arena after the comeback win.
FSU showed more fight against Xavier in this game than it did during last season’s 25-point blowout loss that left one of the best teams in school history one victory shy of the school single season wins record.
The Seminoles held Xavier without a field goal during a nearly 10-minute stretch Sunday and had a 32-29 lead in the final minute of the first half before Macura nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half.
Center Christ Koumadje committed a loose ball foul in the final seconds of the half, setting up two Xavier free throws and to give the Musketeers a 34-32 lead at the break.
FSU, however, showed its resilience in the second half.
Braian Angola led the Seminoles with 16 points, Forrest added 13 points and five rebounds and Savoy finished with 11 points.
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