Xavier blended its familiar staples with a fresh flair that sparking, a 76-65 win over Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Orlando.
Xavier’s fickle defensive philosophy surprised the Terrapins, who struggled against the Musketeers’ untested 2-3 zone as well as their revived 1-3-1. The extended minutes, mixed with extended post ups, for Sean O’Mara gave Xavier another scorer that put them over the top.
There were of course, some familiar constants in Xavier’s play. Macura pumping up his teammates in between scoop layups and deep threes. Trevon Bluiett off-balance threes that turn Xavier’s dry spurts into runs, and more.