The Kentucky Derby, Kemba Walker, and Xavier's readiness for March
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sean Miller reminded Xavier's men's basketball team that Wednesday was the beginning of March, and his team played like it, stealing a wire-to-wire road win at No. 20 Providence, a team that had won 17 in a row at home and 36 of its last 37.
The win clinched the No. 2 seed for Xavier (22-8, 14-5) at next week's Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden, meaning the Musketeers will open with the winner of No. 7 seed Seton Hall and No. 10 seed DePaul at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
Miller also talked to his team about horse racing.
"To get into the Kentucky Derby, there's only 20 horses," Miller said. "When you watch the Derby you don't consider all the work that went into just how hard it is just to get into that race. When you're in the race, it's reflective of how it feels in March Madness. This is that time of year where players rise to the challenge and teams rise to the challenge and programs are made.
"To look at it any other way is inaccurate."
More:Xavier basketball plays possibly best game of the season to beat Providence
For a team to make the most of March, it has to be at its best in everything it does. Miller reminded his team of that before they took the floor on Wednesday.
"The other part about March is the unexpected happens and there are some teams and players that are not the same," Miller said. "(Former UConn great) Kemba Walker is a great example of that. He lost his last two home games at UConn. He lost on Senior Day at UConn and then he won 11 in a row. If I asked you if Kemba Walker won his last game at UConn, it doesn't matter, all you remember is he won a national championship.
"I think for our team and what we're trying to accomplish, it has to be about what's in front of us and how hard we work. We've invested a lot to get to this point. Let's take advantage of it."
Step one on Wednesday was being ready to play. Xavier did that. The Musketeers dominated the first half at Providence.
Step two was being ready to handle Providence's run. Xavier kept the Friars an arm's length away all night in front of arguably the most hostile crowd Xavier's seen all season.
Step three was finishing. Souley Boum and Colby Jones made sure that happened. Xavier's two stars saved the best games they've ever played in college for the same night. Boum scored a Xavier career-high 33 points. Jones scored a career-high 29 points on a nearly perfect shooting night with no turnovers.
The most impressive thing about what Boum and Jones did was how well they played off each other. Providence couldn't stop either one of them.
"Sou's that guy. He's a tone-setter. When he comes out like that, everyone's focused on him, so it definitely makes things easier for a lot of other guys," Jones said.
Jones and Boum flipped roles almost. Boum had 19 of his 33 in the first half. Jones had 22 of his 29 in the second half.
"Colby, he lets the game come to him and sometimes he does almost to his detriment," Miller said. "Because he's such a talented player that he'll blend in. I think over the last month he's learned to be more assertive. It's really nothing that we did. He rose to the challenge.
"The other part for Colby, because of our situation, he defends two or three different players each game. He was (Devin) Carter. He was on (Bryce) Hopkins. The fact you have to guard those two guys right there, that requires a lot of energy. So consider that he did that plus he did what he did on offense."
Providence had 16 offensive rebounds. Xavier played almost the entire game in foul trouble and the Friars got 14 more foul shots than the Musketeers, yet Providence never led once in the game.
Xavier's the only team in the Big East this season to sweep UConn and Providence, and in both road games, Xavier never trailed. The Musketeers' 14 conference wins are tied for the second-most since joining the Big East. A win on Saturday against Butler would match the most Big East regular-season wins Xavier's ever had.
Senior Night on Saturday
Saturday's visit from Butler is the regular-season finale for both teams and it's Senior Night for Xavier.
It's been a topic of discussion as to which players will participate in the ceremony. Boum and Adam Kunkel are the only players on Xavier's roster with no remaining eligibility after this season.
The Enquirer confirmed Jack Nunge will participate in Senior Night with Boum, Kunkel and Xavier's three senior student managers – Mark Gaertner, Blake Kirchner and Jackson Nierste.
It's important to remember that decisions about the future will happen after the season. Just because a player with remaining eligibility is participating in Senior Night doesn't mean he's not coming back (Paul Scruggs went through Senior Night festivities twice). And a player that chooses not to participate in Senior Night doesn't definitively mean they're returning next season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier's win at Providence showed the Musketeers are ready for March
