Reactions: Xavier tops Texas to reach Round of 64 showdown with Illinois
Reactions: Xavier tops Texas to reach Round of 64 showdown with Illinois
The Xavier Musketeers trailed the Texas Longhorns by 13 points in their NCAA tournament First Four game Wednesday in Dayton, and dealt with foul trouble all night for leading scorers Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell.
But 11th-seeded XU outscored the Longhorns 47-33 in the second half, made 12-of-25 from 3-point range and got a season-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from Marcus Foster to rally past Texas, 86-80, to advance to a Friday night matchup with No. 6 Illinois in Milwaukee.
"They're hot, man," former Villanova head coach Jay Wright said during TruTV's "Inside March Madness" studio show after the game. "They could make a run. They could really make a run."
Advertisement
The Musketeers avenged a Sweet 16 loss in 2023 to Texas. It was the fourth time the two teams have met in the NCAA tournament.
The Xavier bench celebrates against Texas during the First Four
Social media reactions to the Muskies' First Four win:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reactions: Xavier comeback topples Texas in First Four; Illinois next
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
RB Nick Chubb signs with Texans on 1-year deal: How he expands Houston's backfield
By Dianna Russini, Zac Jackson, Adam Coleman and Zach Powell Former Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, who was a free agent, signed with the Houston Texans on Tuesday, the team announced. The contract, which was contingent on Chubb passing a physical on Monday, is a one-year deal worth at least $2.5 million and up to $5 million, according to league sources. Chubb received more lucrative offers from other teams, but he would sign a more incentive-laden contract to join Joe Mixon in Houston's backfield. Chubb, 29, was sidelined for much of the last two seasons due to knee and foot injuries. Welcome to H-Town, Nick Chubb‼️ — Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) June 9, 2025 Houston will be just the second team Chubb has played for in his seven seasons. A second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Georgia, Chubb has impacted the Browns' ground game since his rookie season. The four-time Pro Bowler rushed for 996 yards in his first season, followed by four straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards. Advertisement Chubb's 2023 season was cut short by a serious knee injury in Week 2. He returned in Week 7 of the 2024 season, but would wind up missing the final three games that season with a broken foot. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 84.5 yards per game in his first five seasons, and 3.9 yards per carry and 50.2 yards per game in the past two seasons. The injuries are a concern, of course, but Chubb on an incentive-laden one-year deal in a reserve role seems like a good bet for the Texans to make. A healthy backfield of Mixon and Chubb only helps quarterback CJ Stroud and new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. This is suddenly an interesting running back room, too. The Texans just used a fourth-round pick on USC running back Woody Marks to spell the hard-nosed Mixon, who dealt with injuries of his own last season. Then, there is Dameon Pierce, who could be on the bubble. He had an outstanding rookie season in 2022 but has since lost his way. How it all shakes out in camp and during the preseason will be interesting. — Adam Coleman, NFL staff editor The 2024 version of Chubb was not the same version we'd seen before. And though his departure from Cleveland becoming close to official stings the team's fans, the Browns had moved on, and had to. Chubb's gruesome injury in September 2023 in Pittsburgh marked the unofficial end to an incredible marriage of team and low-maintenance superstar that began early in Chubb's rookie season of 2018. Chubb almost always got the tough yards, almost always made the proper play and always wanted the ball without having to say it or post about it. It's hard to tell what the Texans are getting in Chubb now, six months from his 30th birthday, but it seems a smart bet for a Houston team that plans to return to the playoffs. Advertisement Chubb seemed to gain confidence and quickness last season before that broken foot derailed his comeback. If he can still serve as a between-the-tackles runner who brings physicality even without that extra gear, he can still be a useful and productive player. The Browns drafted two running backs and are smartly moving towards their future, but Chubb's presence and playmaking will never be forgotten. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writer
CBS News
38 minutes ago
- CBS News
Two Minnesotans help lead Oklahoma Sooners to 7th NCAA women's gymnastics title
It was a rookie year to remember for Lily Pederson and Elle Mueller on the University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team. The freshmen helped lead the Sooners to their seventh NCAA title back in April. "I knew it could be achievable, but I didn't know freshman year, right out of the gate," Mueller said. "Being able to have two people from the same state, and two friends being able to go to the same college, and accomplish both of our dreams and goals, it's amazing," Pederson said. Pederson grew up competing for Flips Gymnastics in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Mueller at Twin City Twisters in Champlin, Minnesota. The two often competed against each other as kids. Elle Mueller of the Oklahoma Sooners competes on the floor exercise during the NCAA Seattle Regional gymnastics meet at Alaska Airlines Arena on April 6, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Ali Gradischer / Getty Images "So literally we've known each other since we were so young, to now we're teammates at OU, so now it's so cool that both of us from Minnesota are now at the number one college," Pederson said. Now, these northerners are creating names for themselves in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). "Yeah, we're really proud. I mean, we get made fun of for our accents sometimes, but it's fine, it's totally fine," Pederson said, laughing. It was a rare experience for two freshmen to contribute in big ways at the Division I NCAA Nationals. Mueller competed on the floor, earning a 9.90, and again on the vault, earning a 9.98 for the Sooners. "I wasn't competing for myself anymore, I was competing for my team because we all wanted to win that national championship," Mueller said. Pederson competed on the beam, vault and bars at nationals. She rebounded from a fall on the beam in the semifinals in a huge way, earning a 9.9375 after nailing her dismount when it mattered most. Lily Pederson of the University of Oklahoma performs her beam routine during the NCAA Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on April 19, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. Aric Becker/ISI Photos / Getty Images "On day two, I completed the best beam routine I've had in my life. I had the best score I've ever had," Pederson said. "It was such an amazing feeling, and knowing everyone believed in me and was confident in me, like the celebration after, it was a feeling like no other. I was feeling all the emotions and it's a feeling I'll never forget." No matter how big the wins are now and in the future, these gymnasts are always thankful for where the love of this sport started. "[It] keeps me humble and keeps me to myself and reminds me of how far I've come," Mueller said. The Sooners had a nearly undefeated season and won the SEC for the first time in this conference.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Lawsuit filed after chaotic evacuation, injuries at cheer competition in Dallas
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of those injured while evacuating the cheer competition held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas in March, attorneys representing the group announced Monday. The lawsuit filed by Paul LLP and Aldous Law alleges that the organizer, Varsity Spirit, and facility management failed to provide proper security at the event. What happened at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center? Dallas police said a fight between two people at the convention center led to several poles toppling, creating a loud noise and triggering panic as many people mistakenly thought there was an active shooter inside the building. With around 58,000 people — including 30,410 athletes and 3,700 coaches — attending the championship, hundreds, if not thousands, evacuated at once on Saturday, March 1. The disturbance, which occurred around 1 p.m., led to what police described as a "stampede" as people rushed outside. The Dallas Police Department confirmed that there was no active shooter and no shooting had taken place. According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, 10 people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. "All of the injuries were sustained during the evacuation, and none were life-threatening," said Dallas-Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Evans. "They ranged in severity from bumps and bruises to extremity fractures." After the incident, Varsity Brands said in a statement: "All our events have a designated on-site Event Safety Manager, who focuses entirely on ensuring safety and security practices are implemented according to our protocols. This role reports to our Chief Security Officer dedicated to enhancing the security and safety practices at our competitions and camps." Lawsuit claims negligence, injuries, mental anguish According to the lawsuit, "hundreds of people" were injured during a chaotic crowd stampede, including parents and children, being trampled and suffering broken bones, concussions, and brain bleeds. "This wasn't a little something. This was mass chaos," said Ashlea Schwarz of Paul LLP in Kansas City, Mo., who represents the victims. "You had parents separated from their kids for hours. You had a facility that had no plan for reunification in place. People had no idea where they would go to find their children." The lawsuit states that people in attendance from Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia were injured. That includes a woman knocked unconscious during the stampede who suffered a series of brain bleeds, according to the lawsuit, and a mother who was "slammed face-first into the concrete and was so severely hurt that her young daughter thought her mom had been fatally shot." The lawsuit also states that another event participant who hid alone under tractor-trailers outside the convention center suffered from a concussion. "The event had thousands of people in an area, when the incident happened, the Convention Center and Varsity were unprepared for the havoc, and people got injured seriously, both physically and mentally," said Mark Annick with Androvette Legal Media. According to the lawsuit, safety protocols were not put in place until after the incident on March 1 and the defendants, Varsity Spirit, Varsity Brands, Omni Hotels Management, OVG Facilities, Oak View Group and Global Spectrum, failed to provide "reasonable care to reduce or eliminate risk" with the lack of security and crowd management. CBS News Texas has reached out to the defendants for comment and is waiting for a response. The future of the NCA All-Star National Championship The NCA All-Star National Championship, formerly held in Dallas for 30 years, will relocate to Houston for 2026, 2027, and 2028. This shift is due to the construction at the Convention Center in Dallas, according to Varsity Brands. The decision was made before a chaotic incident at the 2025 event in Dallas.
