NEW YORK – The one-game-at-a-time mentality and the desperation that accompanies it has served the Xavier Musketeers well over the last month.
They'll need that same desperation Friday night (6:30 p.m., FS1) at Madison Square Garden against Villanova, the Big East Conference Tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
The stakes couldn't be any higher for Xavier (18-14), a team currently hanging onto the NCAA Tournament bubble by its fingernails.
A win keeps that dream alive. A loss likely leaves the Musketeers bound for the NIT.
Villanova 7, Xavier 6, 15:30 first half – Paul Scruggs is off and running with four points and an assist to Tyrique Jones.