Xavier was on the ropes early in the second half against Purdue. I was concerned, as shown by this tweet:
Sean Miller calls timeout with Xavier down 11, Ousmane holding 4 fouls, and 17:19 still left on the clock. I hope he has something up his sleeve beyond making this a game Sasa Ciani remembers for a long time.
— Banners on the Parkway (@BannersParkway) November 14, 2023
With Zach Edey standing a full six inches taller than anyone on Xavier's roster and having just drawn the fourth foul on the only Muskie within half a foot of him in height, it looked like he was about to bury the game and walk away from Xavier on his own.