Two years ago, the Musketeers lost to the Longhorns 83-71 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake on Wednesday night:
Xavier (21-11) finished tied for fourth in the Big East and is 2-5 against ranked teams this season.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The Musketeers beat Dayton 98-74 in a charity game at UD Arena in October but last played a game that counts there in 2013, a 70-59 Flyers victory.
Xavier has played many games in the Gem City over the years, but the program is 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Alcorn State in 1983 and North Carolina State in 2014.
Senior forward Zach Freemantle and junior guard Ryan Conwell both earned All-Big East recognition and lead Xavier with 17.3 and 16.8 points per game, respectively.
The Musketeers are 1-2 against Texas in the NCAA Tournament.
Sean Miller is 64-29 in his second stint as head coach of the Musketeers, whom he also coached from 2005-09.
Texas (19-15) finished tied for 14th in the SEC and are 5-8 against ranked teams this season.
The Longhorns have made the NCAA Tournament five years in a row and 39 times total.
Tre Jackson, a 6-6 guard from Garland, Texas, made the All-SEC second team and was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. He averages 19.8 points and 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
The Longhorns are 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament at UD Arena. As a No. 5 seed, they beat St. Peter’s in the first round in 1991 then lost to St. John’s two days later.
Rodney Terry is 62-36 in three seasons as the head coach at UT.
This is Xavier’s 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The furthest Xavier has ever made in the tournament is the Elite Eight, with the team achieving the feat most recently during the 2017 tournament.
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