J.P. Macura has never shied away from pressure moments on a basketball court.
As a Lakeville North senior two years ago, Macura made a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in the state semifinals and then scored 43 points in the Class 4A championship victory against Hopkins.
So it came as no surprise to see Macura lead Xavier with 19 points Wednesday night in a 90-83 upset of No. 1 Villanova.
"I really try and have extreme confidence in big games because if you lack confidence at the big stage, you're going to really struggle," Macura said by phone from Cincinnati on Thursday. "It's important for me and my team to have confidence in that game because it carries over."
Xavier is now 25-3 and ranked No. 5 in the country. Macura, a sophomore guard, comes off the bench and averages 9.8 points and 2.6 rebounds.
He's elevated his play of late, scoring in double figures in seven of the past nine games. He scored a career-high 20 points against Marquette during this stretch, before his big game against Villanova.
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