After a loss at Creighton and a win at Butler, Xavier tied Michigan State for eighth in the Associated Press Top 25 and checked in at No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Last week the Musketeers (22-3, 10-3 Big East) were a program-best-tying fifth in the AP poll and a school-record fourth in the Coaches Poll. Saturday’s 74-57 victory at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse wasn’t enough to offset Tuesday’s 70-56 defeat by the Bluejays in Omaha, despite the strides Xavier made to bounce back.
After struggling through 30 percent shooting at Creighton, XU tightened its defense and made field goals at a 56.