Inconsistent isn't a strong enough word to describe Xavier's men's basketball team at the moment.
Confounding and confusing might be more appropriate descriptors for a team that just went from its best 40-minute performance in months against UConn on Friday only to look like a completely different team on Wednesday against St. John's.
It's a mystery that would stump Sherlock Holmes.
To bag a Quad 1 win at home over No. 24 UConn in a game where Xavier did all the little things right and played with profound toughness, then follow it up with a Quad 3 double-digit loss at home to St. John's where toughness and attention to detail were nowhere to be found is baffling.
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Wednesday's 86-73 loss dropped Xavier three spots in the NCAA's NET rankings to No. 23, but analytically, the Musketeers got hit much harder. KenPom.com dropped Xavier 14 spots to No. 38, the worst ranking of the season.
It's not hard to see why, either.
The defense was as bad as it's been all season.
"Our defense stunk. Stunk to high heavens," said Xavier head coach Travis Steele. "And that was from the very beginning of the game to the very end. That's gotta change and I'm gonna find five guys out there who are gonna defend."
The most confusing part of Xavier is that during this recent stretch of struggles, the most glaring problems have been on the offensive end – shot selection, turnovers and lack of production from the 3-point line.
Now it's the defense.
'Our defense stunk': Xavier gets run off its home floor by St. John's
It's an uncomfortable place for a team to be when on a given night either end of the floor – the offense or the defense – could cost them a game.
Steele said after his team's second-half performance last week at Seton Hall, he felt like he had his team back.
That team was missing in action against St. John's.
Xavier, now 1-3 in its last four games, is still searching to find the best version of itself and that's not a great place to be with only five games left in the regular season.
Everyone with a voice and an internet connection is questioning Xavier's toughness, wondering if the Musketeers will combust with the season on the line.
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Those concerns are more than fair. Xavier's put together one complete basketball game in the last two months and for this team to do anything worthwhile the rest of the way, the Musketeers have to be able to stack quality basketball from one game to the next and they've yet to do that in Big East Conference play.
One step forward, two steps backward is not a viable formula and it's the formula that's gotten them in trouble in each of the last two seasons.
Xavier's now in a place where it should feel like it has something to prove, and there's good news and bad news on that front.
The Musketeers have proven they're capable of playing good basketball, far better than how they played on Wednesday. They've also proven they're capable of the opposite with home losses to DePaul and now St. John's.
Xavier's next three games are against teams with an average NET ranking of 27. UConn Saturday, Providence and Seton Hall should all be NCAA Tournament teams.
If Xavier wants to prove something, the opportunities are there. Go be the tougher team in every game the rest of the way. Play with desperation and passion and attention to detail. Don't stumble to the finish line, race to it with energy.
It's Steele's job to get them there, to find a way to get his team to finish the season with strength, and it's the most important job he's had since he became the head coach. The next two weeks are important for a team that feels like it's been treading water instead of swimming. But the next two weeks are just as important for a coach who's still searching for his first NCAA Tournament appearance.
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