1) Xavier is playing great

The way X has played this week is nothing short of great. With their tourney hopes on the line, they have not succumbed to the pressure. After notching a big win in the best rivalry in college basketball against Cincinnati on Wednesday night, X carried that momentum over to today. Right from the start they gave Butler trouble, going up 13-4 to start the game and going on a 22-9 run to begin the second half.

2) James Farr

After struggling and only playing 22 minutes total in the prior three games, James Farr is back with a vengeance. He scored seven timely points against Cincinnati and grabbed three boards. Today against the Bulldogs he scored eight points, six of which came off offensive rebounds, and brought down 11 boards. This is the James Farr Xavier needs, and the Farr Xavier fans remember from last season. The James Farr who hits big shots, grabs tough rebounds, and always plays his hardest. If he can keep up his play of late, Xavier will continue to win games and should be a more consistent team.

3) Butler is not the same team without Chrabascz

Andrew Chrabascz means a lot to Butler, and his broken hand that will keep him sidelined for another few weeks is trouble for the Bulldogs. Without Chrabascz, Butler has split their two games this week. They only beat last-place Creighton by two points earlier this week and got blown out by Xavier today. The Bulldogs need Chrabascz healthy if they want to have a chance of even winning a game in the tournament.