The final game of the First Four portion of the 2025 NCAA Tournament was, well, madness. The No. 11 Xavier Musketeers eliminated the No. 11 seed Texas Longhorns in a thrilling battle that saw Rodney Terry’s squad squander a 13-point lead in the first half before the Musketeers came away with an 86-60 victory.
Texas was still leading the Musketeers by 10 points with 12 minutes left in regulation. The last time the Longhorns held the lead was in the 5:12 mark of the second half before a 3-pointer by Xavier’s John Hugley IV put the Musketeers ahead by a point. Xavier never trailed from that point forward, as the Musketeers made just enough stops and drained timely baskets to secure the victory.
Xavier’s incredible comeback win sparked all sorts of reactions online from fans who witnessed Sean Miller’s team successfully avenged is Sweet 16 loss to the Longhorns in the 2023 edition of March Madness.
“Wow, what a game! Xavier really showed some heart coming back from that deficit. Can’t wait to see how far they go! 
” a fan posted.
From another commenter: “Down 13? No problem! Xavier just went OFF! 
”
Here’s a from a different social media user: “Texas’s inability to protect the ball and execute offensively in the second half really did them in. There was also some real inconsistent officiating. I thought Illinois would be one and done. So Xavier better protect my bracket lol”
Even Texas football caught a stray: “Soo Texas basketball chokes like Texas football 
,” chimed in a commenter.
Via another X (formerly Twitter) user: “xavier flipped the script with that comeback, texas couldn’t hold on.”
Xavier outlasts Texas in a thrilling First Four encounter
Marcus Foster paced the Musketeers with 22 points while Zach Freemantle had 15. Others with significant contributions to Xavier’s win were Ryan Conwell and Dailyn Swain, who each scored 11 points.
As a team, the Musketeers shot 55.2 percent from the floor and hit 12 of their 25 attempts from behind the arc for a high 48.0 3-point shooting percentage.
Playing in its second NCAA Tournament appearance since Miller started to coach the program in 2022, Xavier will next face the No. 6 Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The post Fans erupt after wild ending to Texas-Xavier First Four game appeared first on ClutchPoints.
