The new year, with all of its hope and promise, didn't start the way Xavier would have liked.
Already in a position where Xavier can't afford to let games slip away, let one slip through its fingers Wednesday night at Cintas Center, 80-70, to Seton Hall in a Big East Conference home opener.
"We let one slip away, that's how frustrated I am," said Xavier guard Paul Scruggs, who finished with a team-high 22 points.
Xavier led for more than 29 minutes and Seton Hall led for less than seven minutes, but the Pirates closed the game.