With No. 2-seed Texas’ win over Penn State last weekend, the Longhorns made it to their first Sweet 16 since 2008. However, there is still more to be desired for interim head coach Rodney Terry and his team.

Standing in the way of Texas’ eighth-ever Elite Eight appearance is No. 3-seed Xavier.

The Musketeers have had a great season, going 23–8 in the regular season and making it to the Big East conference championship game.

Xavier head coach Sean Miller, in his second stint with the program, led the Musketeers to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018.

Led by a slew of upperclassmen, Xavier ranks seventh in the nation in offensive efficiency. The team shoots 39% from the 3-point line, good for fifth best in the country. Despite shooting such a high percentage from beyond the arc, the Musketeers don’t rely on the three-ball. Instead, they like to get the ball inside for easier looks.

Xavier is decent on the defensive end, finding itself around the middle of the pack in terms of defensive efficiency. Miller’s squad doesn’t force many turnovers, and Texas doesn’t turn the ball over much, giving the Longhorns an advantage in that department.

Unfortunately for the Musketeers, senior Zach Freemantle, arguably their best player, underwent season-ending foot surgery. Freemantle is a six-foot-nine-inch presence on the court. The forward shot a ridiculous 64% from the 3-point line, averaging 15.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game before his injury against Creighton.

In his absence, multiple guys have stepped up. Senior guard Souley Boum is the team’s leading scorer with 16.5 points per game, while also acting as the sole distributor, averaging 4.3 assists per game. Senior forward Jack Nunge is scoring 14.1 points per game while making up for the rebounding that Freemantle used to control, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.

Nunge led the Musketeers to a win over No. 11-seed Pittsburgh in the Round of 32 last weekend, scoring a team high of 18 points. Xavier also had five other players scoring in double figures. Miller has opted into a very short rotation, with six players logging 20 minutes or more in each of the first two tournament games, allowing his players to log higher stats than most starting lineups.

Both the Musketeers and Longhorns have a multitude of players that are capable of leading the team in scoring on any given night. Texas and Xavier will battle it out in Kansas City on Friday night for a chance to take on the winner of No. 1-seed Houston and No. 5-seed Miami.