BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA
NEW YORK — For bubble teams such as North Carolina and Xavier, each game at this time of year is crucial to keeping their hopes of punching a ticket to the Big Dance alive.
No. 4 seed Xavier let a difficult game slip through their hands on Wednesday as No. 5 Marquette eliminated them from the BIG EAST tournament with an 89-87 win at Madison Square Garden. Marquette trailed as many as 14 points but battled back down the stretch.
“It’s heartbreaking when you lose a game, 89-87,” said Xavier coach Sean Miller, whose team must now wait until Selection Sunday to learn its fate.
While Xavier is considered a bubble team, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi tells ZAGSBLOG that he does not have Xavier (21-10) dropping out of the “Last Four In.”
“We desperately want to be a part of the [NCAA] Tournament,” Miller added. “We’ve won 12 of our last 16, seven in a row coming to today’s game. I think anyone who watched today’s game, you had two NCAA Tournament caliber teams out there….We’re one of America’s best 3-point shooting teams, we’re one of America’s best free-throw shooting teams, we finished third in the Big East in defensive efficiency….
“We’re hopeful that we can be a part of the Tournament. I know that over the last 6-8 weeks, there aren’t too many teams that have played at a higher level than our group.”
UNC capitalized on its opportunity against Wake Forest, winning 68-59 in a thrilling contest, to advance to the ACC semifinals Friday night against arch-rival Duke (7 p.m., ESPN). RJ Davis led the Tar Heels with 21 points, including some clutch play late in the second half.
While the Heels haven’t been successful against the Blue Devils this season, losing both games against them by double figures, Duke could potentially be without their superstar freshman, Cooper Flagg. He sustained an ankle injury on Wednesday and is expected to miss Friday’s game.
“Without Cooper Flagg, the ACC Tournament is wide open,”ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said on air.
“This is Carolina’s opportunity,” he added. “If you want to play in the NCAA Tournament, this is a game you have to win.”
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