CINCINNATI -- All eyes will be glued to televisions in the Tri-State Thursday evening as the Xavier Musketeers take on the Arizona Wildcats at 10:09 p.m. in San Jose, California.
Just two years ago, Xavier University was out in California playing in the Sweet 16 against Arizona, but they're obviously hoping for a better outcome than in that 2015 season.
The Musketeers will meet former Xavier coach Sean Miller and his second-seeded Wildcats, who have only four losses this season as the reigning PAC-12 conference tournament champions.
"The program itself, they're probably sick of getting to the Sweet 16 and losing right there," said junior Trevon Bluiett. "We want to make history. We want to finally get past that big wall and just make it to the Elite Eight, but it's going to have to come down to us locking in and buying into the game plan."
Senior Malcolm Bernard added, "I think we're really hungry because we want to break the barrier, not just for the Elite Eight but for the Final Four and also the National Championship."
The alumni watch party is at Ryan's Pub on Xavier's campus. Tin Roof down at The Banks is also hosting some Xavier student bands before tip-off at 10:09 p.m.
