For the second time in two years, Xavier meets the Florida State Seminoles with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. This time, it’s the Musketeers who are the prohibitive favorite before the tip and Florida State who comes in with a puncher’s chance of flipping the seed lines. For Xavier to advance to a meeting with the winner of Gonzaga/Ohio State, they’ll have to avoid becoming a mark on someone else’s revenge tour.
Florida State got here by waxing a Missouri team that had gained Michael Porter Jr (and good for him for giving it a go) back for the tournament, but was racked by injury and finished the game with six functional players.