The college basketball world had its eyes on the No. 3 Xavier and No. 14 Kennesaw State matchup on Friday. We already saw No. 2 Arizona and No. 4 Virginia fall on day one of the tournament.
Heading into the second half, the higher-seeded Xavier Musketeers found themselves in a hole, 43-36. With 9:56 remaining in the game, the Owls held a 61-48 lead. That is when the wheels came off for this Cinderella story.
It would be seven-plus minutes without a made field goal for Kennesaw State. It allowed Xavier to make a run to re-take the lead at 62-61 with 4:47 remaining on a Jack Nunge free-throw attempt.
This one would come down to the wire as Xavier clung to a 68-67 lead with just 18 seconds remaining. A Nunge block with two seconds left would all but seal it for the Musketeers as they would survive. Souley Boum would make four straight free throw shots to give them the win, 72-67.
CLUTCH BLOCK BY XAVIER 😱👋 pic.twitter.com/dgoQFpUu2G
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 17, 2023
Xavier awaits the winner of Iowa State and Pittsburgh on Sunday in the Round of 32.
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