It wasn't the prettiest four-game stretch and it could have ended a lot worse had it not been for two miraculous – for very different reasons – road wins.
Xavier's men's basketball team was able to split its last four games, making the Musketeers 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big East Conference.
Xavier's 4-4 in its last eight games, although six of those games were against teams currently ranked in the top 75 in the NET, the NCAA's primary team evaluation tool (Xavier sits at No. 20 as of Monday).
But the Musketeers haven't looked like a complete team recently, struggling with incomplete performances and stretches of inefficiency, particularly in the first half of games.
In spite of that, Xavier's remained competitive, but Travis Steele's words on Saturday after a comeback win at Creighton have likely been uttered by Steele much more than he would like.
"We gotta be able to put 40 minutes together."
Games 17-20
Record: 2-2 (15-5 overall)
Xavier trailed by at least nine points in the first half in each of its last four games. At DePaul, Xavier was down 12. At Marquette, it was nine. Against Providence at home, the Musketeers were down by 14, and Saturday at Creighton it was a 17-point halftime deficit.
Xavier came back to beat DePaul in a game where the Musketeers had the lead for a total of two minutes and eight seconds.
Xavier battled back at Marquette to take a lead in the second half only to run ice cold over the last 14 minutes and lose.
For about the final 30 minutes, Xavier played pretty good basketball at both ends but was unable to complete the comeback when Jared Bynum hit a game-winner for Providence with a little more than a second left.
And on Saturday, Xavier tied its largest comeback in a Big East game since becoming a member of the conference, climbing out of a 17-point hole to beat the Bluejays by 10 thanks to 55 second-half points, the most in a half this season by the Musketeers.
MVP
Jack Nunge
Xavier might not have won at DePaul if not for Nunge's late-game heroics. In Xavier's last four games, Nunge, who now looks like a regular part of the starting lineup, averaged 15.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and went 9-of-16 from 3-point range.
Nunge hit two 3-pointers to open the second half at Creighton, helping spark a 19-0 run that turned into a 29-2 run.
One thing has become abundantly clear: the Musketeers are a better team when Nunge's on the floor.
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Most improved
Zach Freemantle
Freemantle wasn't great against DePaul or Marquette, but he's had two good games in a row against Providence and Creighton.
The effort is there and his confidence is steadily rising. Shots around the rim are starting to fall, he's battling on the boards and he's been a lot more resilient on defense.
Freemantle had a season-high five offensive rebounds at Creighton. If he keeps progressing, Xavier's finally getting a handle on how it can give opposing teams a headache trying to defend Freemantle and Nunge when they're on the floor together.
The greatest challenge
Xavier just played its best 20-minute stretch of the season on Saturday at Creighton. The greatest challenge ahead will be figuring out to get that team to show up from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
It's hard to make sense of the current rhythm Xavier seems stuck in – get down early, play well and get back in it, then either polish off a comeback win or walk away with a loss and the knowledge that playing a complete game may have likely changed the outcome.
Xavier's ability to play its way back into games after early setbacks is promising, but the Musketeers are reliant on it every game right now. It's a good quality to have but it's not something that should be required every game.
If Xavier doesn't figure out how to get off to better starts in the first half, every game will be a challenge. With the toughest portion of the conference schedule coming up in February, Xavier needs to get that ironed out now.
The way is with Paul Scruggs
Xavier has a lot of different options in its rotation for scoring, play-making and taking over games, but none are as important as Scruggs. He's on the floor and has the ball in his hands more than anyone else. His decision making with the ball will determine Xavier's ceiling this season.
Against DePaul and Marquette, Scruggs had a combined 10 turnovers. Against Providence and Creighton, Scruggs had a total of two turnovers with 11 assists.
It's been up and down for Scruggs in Big East play, but Xavier's season will hinge on Scruggs taking good shots and taking care of the basketball.
Scruggs doesn't have much time left in his college basketball career. If he wants the ending he was looking for in his fifth season, he has to play with poise, confidence and toughness down the stretch for Xavier to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Where they stand
Xavier's fifth in the Big East standings behind Providence, Villanova, Connecticut and Marquette, and the Musketeers are No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 20 in the NET.
Those are all good places to be heading into February.
The question becomes: are the Musketeers satisfied?
The answer to that should be no. March requires momentum and a quick history lesson on the way the last two seasons ended means the Musketeers need to approach the final month of the regular season with maximum urgency.
Up next
Xavier gets Butler and DePaul at home this week. The Musketeers already went on the road and beat the Bulldogs and the Blue Demons, so taking care of business at home is important. If Xavier can do that, then the Musketeers will take a three-game winning streak on the road next week to Seton Hall before welcoming UConn to Cintas Center.
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