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Form is temporary, class is permanent
Trevon Bluiett had been struggling a bit with his shot this year, but today he illustrated the difference between being bad and being in a slump. He rained down career highs in points and made threes on a UC defense content to close out late on him. Xavier needs Tre to be good. Today he was sensational.
Xavier is 43 minutes from being much, much better
43 minutes. That is what James Farr's first year of eligibility consisted of. With the paint being a pivotal battleground tonight, Xavier's bigs withered up into nothing. Gaston and O'Mara were ineffective at both ends of the court and Jones, while mildly better, never was out of foul trouble. In a game where Big Game James would surely have been a difference maker, Xavier's current bigs showed how far his shoes still are from being filled.
Xavier is out of chances on the road
This represented X's last chance to get marquee road win. Creighton still awaits but without Watson, a win there would hold less weight. Marquette and Providence would be better wins that Georgetown, but not impressive enough to move the needle much. To get a good seed in March, X needee this one.