CINCINNATI -- Xavier had already established itself as one of the best teams in the country this year, winning 24 of its first 27 games and rising to No. 5 in the polls. Yet when it came to the Big East, the Musketeers found themselves looking up, still vexed by Villanova.
The Wildcats were the one Big East team Xavier had not beaten since joining the league in 2013, and their previous meeting this season ended with a 31-point embarrassment in Philadelphia on New Year's Eve.
"We knew we were capable of beating anybody in the country, but we had to prove ourselves against Villanova," Xavier guard Myles Davis said.