Defense is supposed to travel, but the Xavier Musketeers didn't bring it with them to the Barclays Center on Wednesday night against Iowa State in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The defense that led Xavier through its first four games and helped produce a No. 25 ranking in the latest Associated Press poll, got torn to shreds by Iowa State guard Izaiah Brockington, who led the Cyclones to an 82-70 win with 23 of his game-high 30 points in the second half.
There wasn't much to be pleased with from Xavier's vantage point. Other than the way Xavier finished the first half, overcoming an early deficit to take a 39-38 lead into halftime, 24 points from Jack Nunge and another double-double from Colby Jones, the rest of the night was forgettable from a Musketeer vantage point.