The journey from Xavier’s First Four game to now has been absolute chaos for Xaviers men’s basketball program this year.

It started with one of the most electric games I’ve seen — Xavier taking down Texas in a thriller on a rainy Tuesday night in March. Many believed that would be the last time Xavier and Texas would be linked for a while… but wrong.

On March 24, 2024, Xavier head coach Sean Miller was announced as the Longhorns’ newest head coach, leaving Xavier fans frustrated to the point where he couldn’t even get a username on X involving Texas because fans claimed so many variations. Quickly, Xavier’s coaching search landed outside the traditional “family” tree the program is known for. On March 25, 2024, Richard Pitino accepted the Sedler Family Men’s Head Basketball Coach position and moved up to the Big East.

Xavier was picked to finish 8th in the Big East preseason poll and did not have a player named to the preseason All–Big East teams.

Going Outside the Family – A New Identity is born! 

Pitino and his new staff — plus Dante Jackson — are expected to revitalize Xavier’s recruiting philosophy and playing style.

The biggest change will be on defense. Xavier will play man-to-man, attacking passing lanes and protecting the rim — gone are the pack-line defensive days we were so used to. Offensively, expect a faster pace with an emphasis on attacking the rim and drawing free throws. Lobs and high-percentage finishes will be prioritized. Recruiting will focus more heavily on athleticism and length than in recent years.

Roster thoughts: 

With the coaching change and key departures, only Roddie Anderson returns from last season’s roster.

Transfers In

Filip Borvicanin — New Mexico
A strong defensive presence who already knows Pitino’s system. He averaged 6 PPG / 5 RPG / 1 APG in 22 minutes with 41/31/65 shooting splits. He’ll likely play big minutes immediately and be a key glue guy on this squad. 

All Wright — Valparaiso
Three years of eligibility and hopefully, an instant scoring option. Last year: 15 PPG / 2 RPG / 2 APG on 41/38/81 splits. Defense remains a question. Looked a bit raw in the Murray State scrimmage, but if he grows into a steady role, it would significantly help Xavier’s offense.

Anthony Robinson — Virginia
At 6’10”, Robinson brings interior defense and efficiency — 4 PPG / 2 RPG in 9 MPG while shooting 72% from the field. Robinson has to  avoid foul trouble and stay on the court. Early preseason looks are very encouraging with his athleticism and motor. 

Jovan Milicevic — New Mexico
Another 6’10” big, not the most explosive athlete but he is fundamental. Averaged 4 PPG / 2 RPG while shooting 48% from the field and 46% from deep, though only 58% from the line. Likely the primary front court backup to start the season.

Papa N’Diaye — UNLV
A 7-footer and true rim protector. Averaged 3 PPG / 4 RPG off the bench. While this size is exciting to many, he is still a developmental piece, so I urge patience with Muskie fans this year as he grows. 

Tre Carroll — FAU
Part of FAU’s Final Four squad, Carroll is a strong offensive weapon: 12 PPG / 5 RPG / 2 APG on 52/39/76 splits, plus a steal and block per game. Only one year of eligibility left. He appears to be growing into a go-to scoring threat from preseason action.

Gabriel Pozzato — Evansville
Pozzato was viewed as the best player on this team before suffering a massive injury setback this offseason. He averaged 15 PPG / 4 RPG / 1 APG with 44/32/71 splits at Evansville last year. Expected back during conference play after meniscus surgery. His return could elevate the offense significantly.

Malik Moore — Montana
A proven shooter: 12.6 PPG / 3.2 RPG / 2.4 APG on 46/41/82 splits. Likely the fifth starter to open the season.

Isaiah Walker — Belmont
A reliable role player and defender at Belmont, he averaged 11 PPG / 6 RPG / 2 APG, 46% FG / 33% 3PT / 80% FT. Did not show much in the exhibition but could carve out a defensive role in the rotation.

Mier Panoam — North Dakota
Intriguing athlete with some potential, but we’ll see if his production translates to the Big East level.

Projected Starting 5:

Roddie Anderson

Malik Messina-Moore

Filip Borvicanin

Tre Carroll

Anthony Robinson

6th Man: Jovan Milicevic

Rotation: All Wright, Pape N’Diaye, Isaiah Walker, Mier Panoam. 

Once Pozzato returns, he will likely be a starter. 

I know not everyone is a fan of the analytics side of college basketball, however, it does play a crucial role in being able to fairly evaluate all NCAA D1 teams. 

For a baseline, I’m going to provide stats from kenpom.com and barttorvik.com as those are the two predictive models that the NCAA recognizes on their team sheets. To help provide context, I am using New Mexico’s last two years and then this year’s projections. 

	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26 (Projected)
kenpom.com OVR	29	41	62
kenpom.com adjOE	47	74	62
kenpom.com adjDE	23	19	56
barttorvik.com OVR	29	42	74
barttorvik.com adjOE	48	80	86
barttorvik.com adjDE	23	16	60

Now, let’s look at the rest of the Big East, organized by kenpom.com rankings. 

Team	kenpom.com Projected OVR rank:	barttorvik.com projected OVR rank:
UConn	5	10
St. Johns	16	7
Creighton	41	23
Marquette	47	53
Providence	48	57
Villanova	50	50
Xavier	62	74
Butler	72	78
DePaul	78	69
Georgetown	82	70
Seton Hall	93	125

kenpom.com projects Xavier to have a down year at 17-13 (9-11). 

barttorvik.com projects Xavier to have a worse year at 15-15 (8-12). 

Both of these predictions are reasonable, but I lean towards the 15-15 scenario. If Xavier is able to get to .500 in conference play, it would honestly be a surprise to me, but I’ll have more Big East thoughts as we head towards December 17th and the opener vs. Creighton. 

Non-Conference Schedule Outlook

Prediction: 7–4 non-conference record

Xavier should start strong with buy games vs. Marist (11/3) and Le Moyne (11/6).
Other key matchups:

• Santa Clara (11/10): Solid opponent — slight edge to Xavier.
• @ Iowa (11/14): X’s first road test. Both teams with new coaches. Iowa favored by ~8-10 in my opinion. 
• Old Dominion (11/18): Fringe Q3/Q4 game, X by ~10.
• Georgia — Charleston (11/21): Tough game,  likely a loss.
• WVU or Clemson (11/23): Very competitive regardless of matchup.
• Texas A&M CC (11/28) & Saint Francis (12/1): Buy games — should go 2–0.
• Crosstown Shootout vs Cincinnati (12/5): UC should have the edge.
• Missouri State (12/12): Final buy game — should win.

Xavier has chances for résumé wins in Charleston, Iowa, and Cincinnati, but this is a team with a slim margin for error offensively. I also am deeply concerned that this team drops a buy game or two this year. 

Broader Picture: 

This is a true rebuilding year. The focus is on development and establishing the foundation for future success.

There will be highs and lows, but the staff has a track record of:
✅ Player development
✅ Culture-building
✅ Retaining talent longer-term

By March, I expect Xavier to land in the 7–10 range in the Big East, outside NCAA Tournament contention, and likely in postseason play out West in the Crown tournament in Las Vegas.

The most important thing this season:

Build around Anthony Robinson, All Wright, and Gabriel Pozzato as long-term core pieces.

My advice for fans:
Be patient. Sean Miller did not leave this program in a great place, and rebuilding the roster is not an overnight job. Grab a Muskie Lager, show up to Cintas Center, and enjoy watching a new era of Xavier hoops take shape.

Photo Credit: The Associated Press