CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — For all the technical, highbrow methods of dissecting basketball, it really is a pleasantly simple game.
Take Xavier's visit to the University of Northern Iowa Friday for instance.
Xavier was nearly run out of UNI's McLeod Center because it turned the ball over 13 times in the first half.
Then, Xavier beat the unranked Panthers, 77-67, in large part because it committed just two turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
Simple, right?
"Northern Iowa's probably the first team that we've played all year that really clogs the lane, forces you to shoot contested jump shots and we didn't have the offensive patience that we needed, and we had it in the second half," Xavier head coach Chris Mack said afterward.