Butler is next.
But for more on the ridiculous game in Salt Lake City, get the full story here.
2nd overtime, 0:11, K-State 101-96: Xavier’s Dante Jackson gets an open look but can’t get it to go. K-State’s Denis Clemente grabs the board and takes the foul, draining both freebies to put the Musketeers down two possessions.
2nd overtime, 0:25, K-State 97-96: Pullen’s clutch — drills another 3-pointer, this one from the top of the key. Curtis Kelly fouls Terrell Holloway (Xavier’s hero in regulation) at the other end, sending him to the stripe to put the game back within one.
Again for K-State, it’ll come down to hitting their free throws. Pullen now has 26 points.
2nd overtime, 1:05, K-State 94-93: Jacob Pullen answers with a 3-pointer from the corner. He’s now got 23 points on five treys.
2nd overtime, 1:28, Xavier 93-91: Crawford continues to be the hero for the Musketeers, hitting a layup to give Xavier its first lead in minutes. He now has all of the club’s six points in the second extra session.
2nd overtime, 3:18, K-State 91-89: Problems for Wildcats: Curtis Kelly’s playing with an injured hand, two guys have already fouled out (Dominique Sutton and Wally Judge), and Jamar Samuels has four fouls. This is becoming a game of attrition.
End of 1st overtime, Tied at 87: Jordan Crawford’s the hero, hitting a 40-foot 3-pointer to send this thing to double overtime. K-State had a chance to end it with free throws, but Chris Merriewether missed one of two.
Overtime, 0:48, Tied at 84: Holloway does it again, hitting a 3-pointer with his club down by as three.
Overtime, 1:19, K-State 82-79: The inside game is pushing the Wildcats ahead, with back-to-back baskets from Curtis Kelly (17 points, four blocks) and Jamar Samuels (12 points). Right now it’s the guards of Xavier vs. the bigs of K-State.
Overtime, 2:18, K-State 78-77: Terrell Holloway just keeps coming through for Xavier, draining a deep 3-pointer to cut the ‘Cats’ lead.
End of regulation, Tied at 72: What a turn of events: The ‘Cats fouled the best free-throw shooter in the A-10 — Terrell Holloway — while he was in the process of shooting a 3-pointed. He drained ’em coldly, and we’re headed to extra innings.
Second half, 0:10, K-State 72-69: Pullen follows up his clutch 3-pointer with two clutch free throws. Xavier’s in a timeout to craft a good look at a trey.
They’re 53 percent from beyond the arc tonight, so don’t count ’em out.
Second half, 0:12, K-State 70-69: Called my bluff: Martin put the ball in his veteran’s hands, and Jacob Pullen answered the call, draining a 3-pointer with 26 ticks left on the clock. Xavier answered with a put-back bucket underneath from Jason Love.
‘Cats have to hit their free throws.
Second half, 0:46, Tied 67-67: An ill-advised 3 from K-State’s Jacob Pullen was followed by an ill-advised 3 from Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, leaving this thing knotted and in Frank Martin’s hands in the timeout.
Expect the ball to be in Denis Clemente’s hands. He’s got 23 on 10-of-22 shooting tonight for the ‘Cats and can shoot both inside and out.
Second half, 1:55, Tied 67-67: Jordan Crawford follows up Jackson’s 3-pointer with another for the Musketeers, who are now 9-of-16 from 3-point range on the night.
Second half, 2:58, Tied 64-64: Dante Jackson strikes from beyond the arc again, his third 3-pointer of the game (and the team’s eighth), tying this back-and-forth affair back into a knot.
Second half, 4:02, K-State 64-61: The Wildcats’ worry — Wally Judge has fouled out; Jamar Samuels and Dominique Sutton have four apiece; with Jacob Pullen and Luis Colon sitting with three.
Second half, 4:17, K-State 64-61: Clemente answers back for the ‘Cats, drilling a jumper, then posting a four-point play to give his team the lead and his stat sheet 23 points, five rebounds.
Second half, 5:31, K-State 58-57: The Musketeers are using the 3-ball to climb back into it, getting two straight triples from Brad Redford and Jordan Crawford.
Second half, 8:50, K-State 56-49: This game is getting sloppy: five turnovers (three by Xavier) in the span of a minute. It’s to the advantage of the ‘Cats, who like to push tempo with their athleticism. A 7-2 run by K-State tells that tale.
Second half, 10:44, K-State 52-47: Clemente’s emerging as the MVP of this game for the Wildcats. He drains another trey, putting him at 15 points on the night. But K-State has to move the ball better; they have just 12 assists.
Second half, 12:00, K-State 46-43: Story of the stats so far — Xavier has shot nine more free throws than the ‘Cats, while Kansas State has 10 offensive boards. It’s why we’re looking at a close one.
Second half, 13:34, K-State 44-43: The Musketeers won’t go away. They’re on a 7-2 run, including a sweet 3-pointer from Dante Jackson that prompted a Frank Martin timeout. He’s got to tell his guys not to let them get comfortable in the half-court set. Bottom line: Xavier’s got the superior jump-shooters.
Second half, 14:54, K-State 42-38: For anyone who’s watching this, CBS just got their microphones too close to the floor. F-bombs, anyone?
Second half, 16:02, K-State 40-36: Pullen drains a 3-pointer, but the ‘Cats have problems on the way: Three of their starters (Pullen, Colon and Sutton) and their two primary bench guys (Jamar Samuels and Wally Judge) each have three fouls. This means Xavier will be in the penalty soon, and the ‘Cats could be playing without some of their big guns down the stretch.
Second half, 18:00, K-State 37-34: The second half started much the way the first did, with quick shots and elbows being thrown (this one from Luis Colon to Jason Love). Clemente and Colon have come out firing offensively for the ‘Cats.
End of first half, Xavier 32-31: Terrell Holloway and Jordan Crawford have led Musketeers back from what looked to be a one-sided affair early.
The second half will come down to pace. If K-State can push it in transition like they had in the first 10 minutes of the game, they’ll win; the ‘Cats were shooting 57 percent from the floor on the fastbreak.
Not the case in the last 10 minutes. Kansas State finished the half shooting just 41 percent and took just two free throws to Xavier’s 13.
First half, 0:48, Xavier 32-31: And Xavier has erased a 15-point lead to take their first advantage since 17:02 left in the half. Doesn’t help that Jacob Pullen’s been on the bench with two fouls. Holloway’s been the difference with a game-leading 11 points.
First half, 1:30, K-State 30-29: Call off the blowout — the Musketeers have come all the way back, forcing the Wildcats into poor shots and dropping their field-goal percentage from 57 early down to 42.
First half, 4:49, K-State 28-24: Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway have helped the Musketeers close the gap quickly, scoring six and eight, respectively. And they’re winning the battle of “pace control,” keeping the ball in half-court sets to prevent K-State from getting into their break.
First half, 7:00, K-State 28-19: The pace has picked up again, and the Wildcats have gone back to the paint, getting it to Dominique Sutton and Curtis Kelly. Despite a mini-lull, Kansas State is still shooting 57 percent from the floor to Xavier’s 37 percent.
The Musketeers are trying to slow the game to half-court pace; the ‘Cats are hoping to keep things moving.
First half, 9:20, K-State 19-12: Seems like K-State might have lost some of their steam: They’ve committed five quick fouls and haven’t scored in three minutes of play.
First half, 11:35, K-State, 19-7: Interesting note: Wildcats point guard Denis Clemente’s grandfather’s cousin was Roberto Clemente. That makes them second cousins, yes?
First half, 12:42, K-State, 17-4: An absolute clinic from the ‘Cats early. They’re beating Xavier up the floor on offense for fastbreak points (which is why they’re 8-of-13 from the field) and completely clamping down in the paint on defense, forcing the Musketeers into two ill-advised 3s and a 2-for-10 mark overall. This could get ugly quickly.
First half, 14:10, K-State 13-4: Wildcats look impressive: shooting 55 percent, and limiting Xavier to 2-for-8 from the field early. Pullen already has seven points.
First half, 16:02, K-State 8-4: The ‘Cats’ two main gunners (Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente) are getting it done, scoring four and two, respectively — all in transition. This will be State’s plan: Push the pace to cancel Xavier’s towers in the paint.
First half, 16:44, K-State 4-4: Those who were expecting a break-neck speed are getting it. It’s been all fast-break so far, with the Wildcats trying to push the pace against the taller Musketeers.
9:28 p.m.: We now know whom the winner of this matchup will face in the Elite Eight. Butler has upset No. 1 seed Syracuse, 63-59.
8:02 a.m.: Considering Frank Martin’s antics, it’s pretty incredible how far under the radar Kansas State has flown thus far this March. They’re 28-7 and have screamed through the first two rounds.
Xavier, meanwhile, has ho-hummed its way into into its third Sweet 16 in as many years. The intrigue? The Musketeers have never been to the Final Four; K-State is seeking its first such appearance since 1964.
One will get a game closer to reversing those fortunes.
