LOS ANGELES, CA – The Musketeers gave them everything they could handle and more, but the Wildcats erased a four-point deficit with seven minutes to play with a dominating 15-3 run, and 2nd-seeded Arizona held on for a hard-fought 68-60 win over 6th-seeded Xavier in a West Regional semifinal.
Senior guard T.J. McConnell overcame a rough-shooting first half to lead the Wildcats with seventeen points and five assists. Center Kaleb Tarzewski emerged–from his battle with Matt Stainbrook in the paint–with a dozen points and as many rebounds.
Stainbrook, for his part, led Xavier with a bruising seventeen points and ten rebounds in the losing effort.
Sean Miller’s squad advances to the Elite Eight–where they will look to avenge last year’s thrilling one-point overtime loss to the Badgers–when they square off again on Saturday in a West Regional Final re-match.
Wayne Larrivee and Donny Marshall called the action on Westwood One Sports.