3rd All-Time Sweet 16 Set with UNC-Xavier Thriller

An incredible game to determine the final Sweet 16 team in our 3rd All-Time Great Value Add Basketball Game. One of the photos at the bottom is the game set-up behind my screen with ESPN+ coverage of the top 6 match-up between Marquette and Iowa State on the computer screen). Here are the updated rankings of the 18 remaining undefeated teams.

Until Zach Freemantle (4 points, 6 rebounds, steal and a block in limited minutes this game) was injured in 2023, Xavier was 17-4 and had just beaten #1 UConn AT UConn. The team that would then win two straight titles fell and this Xavier team was a contender. Freemantle was hurt the next game and Xavier basically had to play a 6-man rotation the rest of the season or they would have been seeded higher and perhaps gone even further than the Sweet 16. 

In this game Xavier dominated until he was out of Stamina, as he led them to a 43-34 lead when he ran out of Stamina with 16 minutes to play.

Once he was out UNC took over, going on a 27-18 run the next 13 minutes to tie the game 61-61 with three minutes to play.

Then center Jack Nunge (15 points, 8 rebounds) hit a 3-pointer and Jerome Hunter (6 points, 7 rebounds) scored to make it 66-61 Xavier with 2 minutes to play.

Then Armando Bacot (game high in both points - 19 - and rebounds - 13) took over for a dominant few possessions each way.

Bacot scored to bring UNC 2002 within 66-63, then blocked Nunge's shot at the other end and grabbed the rebound himself. 

Bacot then drew a foul at the other end to add a possession by stopping the clock, and hit both free throws to cut it 6o 66-65. 

Bacot grabbed another rebound at the other end, came down and was fouled again - but this time his one of two to make it 66-66. 

However on the last trip Caleb Love (10 points) turned it over, to give Xavier the last possession. 

Souley Boum (15 points) missed a shot, but Nunge grabbed a rebound, but his follow missed.

Jerome Hunter grabbed a second offensive rebound, passed to Colby Jones (team-highs in both points - 18 - and rebounds - 9), who hit a buzzer beater to give Xavier the 68-66 win to pull the upset as the 19-seed and advance to play the 6-seed Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16. 

The worse seed went 3-9 in this round, with the other two upset winners being the 25-seed Louisville 1968 with Wes Unseld and the 18-seed Kansas 2022 champs.

The top four seeds did not play this round as they had byes to the Sweet 16.

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