Xavier v. Villanova: Three Things we Learned

3 in 3 was a bridge too far for the legs

Xavier could not buy a basket for long stretches tonight, having played 85 very competitive minutes over the last two days. Add to that injury concerns for JP Macura and Dee Davis, and it came together to give X a night to forget from the field. There is a reality in which Xavier can beat Villanova, but they need to be at their best, and their fatigue kept them from that tonight.

Jalen can get his against anyone

With Matt Stainbrook greatly curtailed by the combination of Daniel Ochefu, Kris Jenkins, and JayVaughn Pinkston, Jalen Reynolds was the go to guy for X in the second half, adding 9 to his 4 first half points to finish with 13. When Jalen can keep himself on the court, he is a hard man for anyone to stop. No matter who Xavier plays in the first round, Jalen will have an impact.

Selection Sunday is much more relxing this year

Even though X lost out on the automatic bid, they did more than enough at MSG to make themselves a sure thing for an at-large bid. As opposed to last year's tense wait to see if there was more basketball for X, this year will be a wait to see where they land in the field. Most people have them in the 7-8 range, but as we have seen in years past, it is hard to predict what the committee will see.