Patriot League - With Spot In Sweet 16 The Line - Lehigh Takes Xavier

The 15th-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks will attempt for you to push out of another angry as they definitely undertake the 10th-seeded Xavier Musketeers in the third circular on the 2012 NCAA Tournament at that Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Lehigh stunned the country within its beginning game the way it angry the actual second-seeded Duke Blue Devils inside a 75-70 remaining on Friday. The wining was that ninth from a line and initial ever before with the particular NCAA Tournament for any Mountain Hawks, who now own a new 27-7 history for the year. The 27 is the winner is really a new single period report for that group in addition to attached that Patriot League 's meeting mark since well. Coach Brett Reed is required to be comfortable throughout their team's ability to help history because it led your Patriot together with a normal of 76.2 ppg and outscored it is oppositions by simply 10.9 ppg. The Mountain Hawks did an amazing employment against Duke's stellar backcourt involving Seth Curry and Austin Rivers.

Xavier can be coming down a fantastic 67-63 comeback win over seventh-seeded Notre Dame on Friday. The Musketeers have become one win from the their sixth vacation to the Sweet sixteen during the past decade. Xavier might often be your much tougher shielding test for Lehigh compared to Duke ended up being about Friday. The Musketeers improved to help 18-3 whenever positioning opponents within 70 points using triumph covering the Fighting Irish. Coach Chris Mack emphasized guarding that circumference this season as his squad led the particular Atlantic twelve Conference in three-point arena purpose proportion defensive (.310) and appeared to be subsequent with general field goal fraction safety (.401).

This session signifies merely the second all-time conference in between Lehigh as well as Xavier around the hardwood. The Musketeers won the only real past encounter, 69-63, through 2004-05 time during Cintas Center inside Cincinnati.

This matchup will function two on the very best level protections within the nation. Lehigh's gofer guard C.J. McCollum just lately earned his second Patriot League Player on the Year Award after averaging regarding 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds along with 2.6 steals per activity each of which usually cause the actual team. McCollum was fearless versus Duke's heralded backcourt as they scored a new game-high 30 tips even though furthermore giving six assists. Gabe Knutson provides also been an efficient next solution this specific year, as well as he has been a perfect 5-of-5 on the floorboards and created 6-of-7 with the a good cause stripe in order to online 17 things on Friday. Mackey McKnight as well as John Adams built some significant works to help you Lehigh to the improbable win.

McCollum's concern seriously isn't likely to acquire almost any easier, since he will are in possession of to go towards Xavier's standout backcourt duo of Tu Holloway plus Mark Lyons. Holloway leads the Musketeers having averages of 17.3 things and 5.0 assists for each game. The senior guard emerged way up massive compared to Notre Dame on Friday having twenty five points on 10-of-15 shooting. Lyons have your fairly quiet activity along with tendencies factors as well as six assists, although they're absolutely efficient at scoring inside bunches. Freshman forward Dezmine Wells manufactured a new superb debut inside Big Dance by simply recording a double-double consisting with 14 points plus 11 rebounds, when Kenny Frease chipped within 10 points through their middle position.