The writing was on the wall for the Florida Gators as the Xavier Musketeers whittled their lead — once as large as 17 points in the second half — down to next to nothing down the stretch.
10 at the under-four. Five with 2:09 left. Three with 1:08 to go. Three with 30 seconds to go and the ball in Xavier’s hands.
But that lead would get no smaller, as Paul Scruggs missed an open shot and Kerry Blackshear Jr. came away with the night’s most important rebound. Blackshear would hit both free throws immediately afterward.