The setting:
Coming off of a huge Crosstown Shootout win and a 17-point trouncing of Butler, Xavier had 48 hours to turn around and get to MSG to take on St. John's in a battle of teams perched on the bubble. This was an ugly game, with a combination of Chris Obekpa and some spotty officiating keeping Xavier's offense from getting rolling while the X defense kept St. John's from hitting the long jumpers they so dearly loved to take. Down five with 1:45 to go, Xavier got a couple of scores before Remy Abell forced D'Angelo Harrison into a turnover with 23 seconds left. After Abell lost the ball out of bounds on what looked for all the world like a shooting foul, Xavier had one last shot to take the lead.
The play:
Myles Davis missed jumper with 4 seconds remaining, -30% win probability. The ball ended up with Xavier's baldest guard and he went up with it, ending up attempting a little leaner from about eight feet out under heavy pressure. It's a little unfair to call this play un-clutch on Myles's part because he had the nerve to take it on and a different (more fair) world would have seen him heading to the line, but his shot in our universe failed to find its mark and heroism was derailed.
The outcome:
Chris Obekpa grabbed the board, the horn sounded, and that was that. Between the no-call on Remy leading to Myles's miss and the three ball that we discussed yesterday, Xavier came within a couple of breaks of beating St. John's twice. I know it's a little ungracious to play "what if" games on a Sweet 16 season, but those wins would have been nice additions to the Musketeers' resume at tournament time.
What we said at the time:
"Myles Davis has been Xavier's leading scorer in Big East play, but he was miserable tonight. The ball fell to him for a tough look with five seconds left, and he put the capper on a rough night by not being able to convert the look."