Xavier Upsets Maryland In First Round

Trevon Bluiett scored 21 points and Sean O’Mara had 18 to help No. 11 seed Xavier upset sixth-seeded Maryland 76-65 during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

The Musketeers move on in the West region, marking the third straight year they have advanced to the second round. Maryland, which has started three freshmen for much the season, lost in the first round for the first time since 1997.

After a slow start, Bluiett came through with 18 second-half points to help the Musketeers rally from an early 6-point deficit. Bluiett converted seven field goals, including five 3-pointers to energize Xavier.

Freshman Kevin Huerter led the Terps with 19 points while star guard Melo Trimble had 13 points, but made only one-third of his shots.

Xavier took control midway through the second half as Maryland went scoreless for nearly 5 minutes while Xavier pushed its lead to 61-50 with 9:03 left. Bluiett hit three 3-pointers during the 14-0 run.

The Musketeers led by as many as nine points in the first half, but were hurt by turnovers that Maryland used to rally for 12 points. Trimble stole the ball from Quentin Goodin at mid-court and raced for a fast break basket, giving Maryland a 36-35 lead just before halftime.