Back in mid-November the underdog Muskies beat the heck out of favored Butler at Cintas Center, 62-47. Soon after, Butler started playing at the level most expected, and then some. They beat then # 9 ranked UNC (obviously they were not a top 10 team), #1 ranked Indiana, and #8 (now #1) ranked Gonzaga. Not too shabby. Butler sits at 23-7 and 10-5 in the A10 after dropping games 2 of their last 3. They lost to SLU and VCU before beating UMass. A Xavier win at Butler on their Senior night would mean that X and Butler would finish tied and X would win the tie-breaker for the higher A10 tourney seed.
So, while an at-large bid to the big dance is not on the line, seeding for the A10 tourney will be decided on Saturday.
Butler is 13-2 at Hinkle, but they did drop their last one at home, 65-61 to SLU. The Muskies haven't played away from Cintas in 2 1/2 weeks so let's hope Mack has them pumped up and playing at the level they were at against the Billikens on Wednesday. Seniors Rotnei Clarke and Andrew Smith will be looking to end their careers at Hinkle with a victory. Let's see if Semaj Christon, Trav Taylor, and the Muskies can spoil their Senior night.
Go Muskies!
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xavier "butler bulldogs" "st. louis billikens" "semaj christon" "travis taylor"
