Kansas State and Xavier play one for the ages

I hate being cliche, and I hate even more stealing a line from the impeccable Gus Johnson, but this is March Madness. This is what college basketball is all about. This is why the BCS should go the way of my bracket.

Kansas State beat Xavier tonight in what will surely go down as one of the great NCAA Tournament games of my lifetime. For 50 minutes, two teams left every ounce of energy they had on the court. They fought, they scrapped, they made plays. Xavier probably should have lost this game three or four times. There were so many clutch shots made that Bill Raftery would have run out of 'onions'.

No one deserved to lose this game. My hat goes off to the kids from the Little Apple for advancing, while my heart goes out to the Muskies for suffering what is undoubtedly a heartbreaking loss.

One only needs to see the picture of Jason Love leaving the court, jersey pulled over his face to hide the tears, to understand how badly both teams wanted this game.

These two teams have a history.

Three times in the past four seasons they have played.

Back in the Michael Beasley era, Kansas State took a whooping at the hands of Xavier in Cincinnati, losing 103-77. Xavier got a little too mouthy during the game, laughing on the court by the end of it, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the Wildcats.

Jordan Crawford had an incredible tournament.
(photo credit: Kansas City Star)

K-State got their revenge this year in Manhattan, beating the Muskies 71-56 in a physical game that saw Wildcat players head into the stands to high-five the students after the game.

This one started the way you would expect any rivalry game -- and yes, Xavier-Kansas State has turned into a rivalry -- with some jawing and physical play. It was a big reason why Denis Clemente and Mark Lyons got hit with double-technicals just 3:40 into the game.

Its also why you saw Xavier, who probably should have lost this game three or four times, never give up. And why the Kansas State players, who spent just as much time yapping during the course of the game as they did knocking down big shots, have nothing but kind words for the Muskies in the postgame.

Let's be clear. Xavier should have lost this game.

Jacob Pullen, hitting what would eventually be the game-winner.
(photo credit: CBC Sports)

• Eight minutes in, they were down 19-4. But Terrell Holloway and Jordan Crawford led them back (this will be a familiar theme by the end of this article) by scoring 17 of Xavier's 28 points as they closed the half on a 28-12 surge to take a 32-31 lead heading into the break.
• Clemente carried the Wildcats to a 56-49 lead with just eight minutes left. But once again, Xavier had an answer, as Crawford capped a string of four consecutive made threes by drilling a jumper from deep in the left corner to give Xavier a 67-66 lead with 2:20 left.
• Pullen buried a contested three to break a 67-all tie with 28 seconds left, then answered a Jason Love layup with two free throws. But Holloway drew a foul on a three point attempt, knocking down all three free throws to force the first overtime.
• Holloway scored eight points in 1:37 to lead Xavier back from four down with 2:27 to go before K-State scored three straight points to take an 87-84 lead with 18 seconds left. But Crawford drilled a 30 footer with 5.0 seconds left -- a shot that will probably be the most memorable of the tournament by someone not named Ali Farokhmanesh -- to force a second overtime.
  

And in that second overtime, Xavier finally succumbed to the Wildcats. After Crawford scored on a wheeling drive to the rim, Pullen ran off a triple screen on the baseline to free himself in the corner, knocking down a three to give K-State a 94-93 lead. A free throw by Love tied it, but Pullen immediately answered with another three from the top of the key to give K-State their final lead.

Xavier had a shot to tie it, but Dante Jackson's three fell short, sending Kansas State to the Elite 8 for a date with Butler.

Choose the adjective: epic, legendary, classic, memorable.

No matter how you describe it, this was a game that this writer won't soon forget.