It seems rather self-evident why Xavier lost on Wednesday night. Turning the ball over at a 28.9% clip against a Big East team, even a fellow struggler like Providence, is a recipe for a loss. Xavier followed that recipe, and they lost. Pulling up the season numbers, I fully expected to find that Xavier lost when the turned the ball over, and won when they didn’t. That wasn’t the case at all.
For starters, the game in which Xavier had the highest turnover rate, an astronomical 31.6%, they won by 18. In the turnover table, three losses (Providence, Auburn, and Missouri) follow in three games in which Xavier threw the ball to anyone who was open, regardless of what team they were on.