As Xavier’s men’s basketball team turns the page to the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, it plans to leave a troubling defensive trend behind.
The fifth-ranked Musketeers allowed an average 75.1 points in 18 conference games, a contrast to the 63.5 points they surrendered in 12 non-conference outings. The final three regular season games were the most vexing defensively as XU gave up an average 88.7 points to Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton.
“I don’t like it,” coach Chris Mack said of the team’s recent defense. “It’s got to change or we’ll have a very, very short March.