If anyone was wondering why Xavier's men's basketball team wanted to keep playing after missing the NCAA Tournament, Tuesday night was a perfect example.
The Musketeers refused to quit and made some huge plays late to hold on and beat Vanderbilt, 75-73, to advance to next week's NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier with 16 points, one of five Musketeers in double figures.
The No. 4 Musketeers will face the No. 5 St. Bonaventure in the semifinals after the Bonnies beat No. 6 Viginia 52-51 Tuesday night. Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt is a former Xavier assistant.