VILLANOVA – It's not easy to make sense of Xavier's performance Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion against Villanova.
The Musketeers, ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, looked like the better team at both ends of the floor in the first half, taking a 38-30 lead into the break, which isn't an easy thing to do in Villanova's building.
But in the second half, No. 23 Villanova was clearly the better team and Xavier seemed to help in that endeavor as the Wildcats secured a 71-58 win that wasn't entirely descriptive of how close the game was, but it was a true indication of how lousy Xavier looked in the second half.
A lot of things went wrong.
More:Xavier squanders a perfect start with an awful second half in a loss at Villanova
The turnovers were migraine-inducing and they went a long way in costing Xavier the game.
The Musketeers didn't even get a shot on the first three possessions of the second half, all three possessions ended in turnovers. In a matter of 66 seconds to start the half, Xavier still had the lead, but Villanova looked like a shark that smelled blood in the water.
Those early turnovers launched Xavier out of the driver's seat and the rest of the way, it looked like the Musketeers were hanging on for dear life.
Two other things cost Xavier the game. The Musketeers stopped playing to their identity on offense, and they misplaced their toughness.
The offense that worked in the first half was a product of attacking, feeding the ball into the post and playing around that. It opened the floor for 3-pointers and Xavier went 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.
In the second half, Xavier's presence around the rim was almost nonexistent. Most of the entry passes into the low post were turnovers. With the exception of Dwon Odom, who was one of Xavier's few bright spots, the Musketeers didn't do much in the way of driving the basketball. The ball seemed stuck on the perimeter and Xavier went 0-for-14 from 3 in the second half.
Xavier made 13 shots in the first half and only eight in the second half, matching the Musketeers' turnover total in the second half, which paints a grim picture of how Xavier played after intermission.
The toughness was more concerning, though, right up there with the turnovers. Villanova was able to drive the ball and post it. The Wildcats outscored Xavier 40-22 in points in the paint. Xavier didn't look tough at either end of the floor and in a game where the Musketeers asserted themselves with toughness and execution for the first 20 minutes, it was head-scratching how different they looked over the second 20 minutes.
Players who've established themselves as guys who can impact winning or take over a game at critical moments were nowhere to be found in the second half.
Colby Jones had a rough night with two points, eight rebounds and four turnovers. Paul Scruggs struggled. Nate Johnson couldn't get the ball to go in the basket after halftime. Zach Freemantle couldn't get a stop on defense and after the few first minutes of the game, he wasn't a factor offensively. Jack Nunge never really got going. Jerome Hunter had a hard time at both ends.
The only two guys who went the distance in both halves were Odom and Adam Kunkel. Odom went 6-of-8 from the floor with a team-high 13 points and he looked locked in defensively all night. Kunkel had nine points, two steals and provided his usual shot of life.
Villanova's best players – Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Caleb Daniels and Eric Dixon – outplayed Xavier's best players.
This was really the first time this season that Xavier's depth didn't deliver.
At this point, Xavier's performance in the second half is a one-off. The Musketeers were playing against a team that's 41-1 in Finneran Pavilion since the formation of the new Big East and they had the Wildcats on the ropes.
It's concerning how Xavier faded but the Musketeers get another chance at a Quad-1 win on Tuesday at home against UConn. Xavier should be more than ready to put the past behind them against a really tough UConn team.
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