Four days ago, Xavier men's basketball won its 35th consecutive regular-season opener, but the Musketeers' 78-69 victory over Texas Southern − largely fueled by Xavier's 34-of-41 performance at the free-throw line to offset a miserable shooting night − left more questions than answers.

Xavier dispelled some of that doubt by doing what good teams do against lesser opponents. The Musketeers returned to Cintas Center Friday night and despite another slow start, eventually turned in a well-executed effort to pull away from IU Indy, 94-80.

Xavier improves to 2-0 for the 17th consecutive season and is 32-10 overall in November under head coach Sean Miller.

Takeaways from Xavier Musketeers' win over IU Indy

No time to panic: Why Xavier is not overreacting after 'outlier' opener vs. Texas Southern

Xavier once again on the receiving end of opening punch

IU Indy, an underdog of over 30 points entering the night, trailed 5-0 after just 71 seconds, but responded as another Xavier opponent got hot from distance.

The Jaguars started 6-of-11 from three-point range with starting point guard Paul Zilinskas going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Zilinskas, who had 17 points, had an and-1 to give IU Indy a 28-22 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. IU Indy led by as many as eight in the first half.

The Jaguars were led offensively by Jarvis Walker, who finished with 20 points.

Xavier had more contributors this time around

In Monday's free-throw fest against Texas Southern, Xavier had just four players make a field goal while everyone chipped in from the charity stripe. On Friday, Xavier had several players shake the rust off despite sub-par percentages in the opening stanza.

Furman transfer Marcus Foster hit a floater off the glass and knocked down a corner triple in the game's opening minutes and Toledo transfer Dante Maddox Jr. connected for a trey. Down low, John Hugley and Jerome Hunter each recorded their first bucket of the season.

Xavier went just 14-of-35 (40%) from the field in the first half, but eight different Musketeers made a field goal. Hunter's first basket since the Sweet 16 loss to Texas 20 months ago jumpstarted a 16-5 Xavier run over the final 4:56 to give the Musketeers a 38-33 lead at the half.

Xavier tallied 26 points off the bench behind Hunter (10) and Hugley (8).

Xavier's offense finally found a rhythm out of the locker room

Over the final war (four-minute period) of the first half and first of the second half, Xavier outscored IU Indy 26-9. Coming out of the locker room, Xavier's offense was executing the high-low by feeding the post, controlling the boards and getting quality looks against multiple IU Indy defensive looks.

Xavier started 17-of-18 from the field in the second half and once again made an opponent pay for foul trouble by getting into the bonus with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. Xavier finished 18-of-22 at the stripe and is now 52-for-63 over two games.

Dayvion McKnight, who shot just 37.2% from beyond the arc last season, sparked Xavier's strong second half by going 4-for-4 from downtown. McKnight (17 points), Ryan Conwell (19) and Zach Freemantle (17) combined for 53 points. Xavier finished 10-of-18 from deep (6-for-23 on Monday).

"Our transition game, sharing the ball, moving the ball better, pushing in transition − a lot of good things happened for us (in the second half)," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said.

Rebounding advantage is a good sign for Musketeers, 3-point defense is not

Xavier's rebounding will be under a microscope all season and so far, the Musketeers have performed well on the boards in three out of four halves this season.

Xavier gave up six offensive rebounds that turned into 10 second-chance points in the first half of Monday's opener. In 60 minutes (three halves) since, Xavier has won the rebounding battle 50-38, permitting just 11 second-chance points. Sophomore Dailyn Swain led Xavier with eight boards Friday.

Opponents have had success so far from deep against Xavier's defense. In two games, Texas Southern and IU Indy combined to go 24-of-51 from 3-point range. The Jaguars were 14-of-28 from the perimeter, which was enough to keep Xavier from emptying its bench late in regulation.

"We have to get better on our end defending the 3-point shot . . . We have to fix the leak in the roof and be better in that area," Miller said. "When you give up 14-of-28 from 3, that's a concern."

Xavier's offense dubiously picked up where it left off

With a height advantage in this matchup (IU Indy's tallest starter was 6-foot-7), Xavier planned to focus on the paint with its big men on receiving end of several early high-low passes. It didn't matter which Musketeer was attacking the basket, the shots were not falling.

Xavier started 2-of-12 on layups and shot just 31.6% from the field over the opening 10 minutes.

"There are a couple of plays where you just need to make the inside shot or layup. We got off to a weird start," Miller said. "We were playing fast and it seemed like nothing was going right."

Once the offense got rolling in the second half, Xavier began to take control with its size advantage. The Musketeers finished with 44 points in the paint compared to IU Indy's 26.

What's next for Xavier Musketeers men's basketball?

Xavier still has over two weeks before it has to leave Cincinnati for the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Musketeers' five-game homestand to begin the year continues Tuesday night against Jackson State.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Takeaways: After scare in season-opener, Xavier handles IU Indy