By Charlie Gainor, Staff Writer

Despite an inspired rally in the final minutes of the game, Xavier’s furious comeback against the University of Georgia Bulldogs fizzled out at the buzzer as the Musketeers fell in the first round of the 2024 National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

Following an unceremonious exit in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament to the eventual champion University of Connecticut Huskies, the Musketeers, sitting at a 16-17 record, seemed to be on the outside looking in from getting an invitation. However, following several declined invitations from schools like St. John’s, Xavier was written in as one of the final teams to make the cut.

 Despite being only a 1.5-point underdog away from home, the Muskies opened the game flat and quickly found themselves attempting to tread water against an overwhelming Georgia surge. Despite an impressive first half performance from senior center Abou Ousmane, Xavier would surrender a 17-2 run early in the second and push the deficit to 23 points.

Yet it was sophomore guard Desmond Claude who kicked off a run to cut away at the lead. A three would set the Musketeers off on a 23-7 run over six minutes that would bring Xavier within eight with five minutes to go: 74-66. Immediately after, eight more points from the sophomore guard would put Xavier on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to two.

“(Xavier) was terrific down the stretch. They did an excellent job getting downhill in transition,” Georgia Head Coach Mike White said after the game.

Despite their best efforts at what would be one of the largest comebacks in program history, Xavier came up just short in the final seconds after a goaltending call on graduate student star guard Quincy Olivari’s shot was overturned, and a final shot by Claude to tie the game hit just off the rim. Xavier would fall to the Bulldogs 78-76, putting an end to their disappointing season with a 16-18 record.

Amidst the loss, this game still brought reasons to celebrate. Ousmane eclipsed 1,000 career points as he finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the night — his fourth double-double on the season. Claude finished with 30 points on 11-18 shooting, including 4-5 from beyond the arc, to lead all scoring. This is his second career 30-point night, only behind his career-high 36 points he set at Georgetown.

But perhaps the highlight of the night was the play of Olivari. In his final game in a Xavier uniform, he hit two three-pointers to bring his season count to 106, breaking the great Trevon Bluiett’s record for the most three-pointers scored in a single season by a Musketeer.

On Instagram, Olivari reposted an image of him breaking the record, tagged Bluiett and lightheartedly and said, “I had to leave here with something!”

With this loss, Xavier finishes the season under .500 for the first time in 27 years, ending a streak that was among the top-5 longest in the country. However, there remains optimism that Xavier Head Coach Sean Miller will bring the program back to winning ways, with a potentially high retention rate for this year’s roster next season, wing Jonathan Powell on the docket as a freshman commit for next season and both forward Zach Freemantle and forward Jerome Hunter set to return from injury for their final season.

Since the loss, two Musketeers have entered their name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. Sophomore guard and sharpshooter Kam Craft announced his intent to explore other playing options on Wednesday. In the middle of the afternoon yesterday, first year center Kachi Nzeh also entered the portal.