CINCINNATI, Ohio -- With a comfortable 16-point lead at halftime, Xavier looks to be well on its way to a 23rd straight win in Cincinnati against Dayton. The Musketeers have played well at home, and Dayton is banged up, but I don't think anyone expected Xavier to dominate play to the degree that it did in the first half.

Xavier coach Sean Miller has to be pleased with his team's defensive performance. The Musketeers are playing hard on the defensive end, especially against Brian Roberts. Xavier has effectively taken Roberts out of the game while leaving open other Dayton shooters, but those players haven't been able to knock down their open looks. The Flyers never made any kind of dent in the Xavier lead. Things instead went the other way, as Xavier methodically extended its lead.