Xavier started this one with one foot in the second round already. After a lackluster start left the Muskies down 4-3, they ripped off 10 straight to apparently establish dominance in the game. Texas Southern wasn’t going gentle into that good night though, and their Mick Cronin Memorial Award for Most Annoying Person Too Short to Ride a Roller Coaster favorite Demontrae Jefferson flexed and preened his way through a 16-0 answering run that put the Tigers up 20-13.
Then Xavier woke up. Tre hit a jumper, and then JP ripped off 12 of the game’s next 14 points to put Xavier up 29-20 and the game directly into the dirt.