Last season marked the beginning of a new era at Xavier but it wasn’t exactly the start many were expecting. Richard Pitino took over after his brilliance at New Mexico, replacing Sean Miller after his own exodus for the SEC. Joining the conference that already included his legendary father, Pitino and his new staff got right to work, hoping to get the Musketeers right back into contending conversations in the Big East.
Xavier leaned on a transfer class for the first stage of that turnaround but it just wasn’t the right mix of talent. The Musketeers finished just 15-18 and in a tie with Georgetown for last place in the Big East standings. One unfortunate beginning is far from a disaster but Pitino and company have their work cut out for them this season.
New looked Musketeers
It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the roster looks very different this season compared to last. It’s not just because of the last place finish, but the portal was very active once again. Pitino is hoping that this new mix of players provides much better results on the court while bidding farewell to notable pieces like Tre Carroll, Malik Moore, and Roddie Anderson among others.
Very few people were expecting that type of season out of Xavier and we’re not exactly predicting a repeat performance. A lot will truly come down to the players we’re about to detail and how this new crop of transfers fit and play together. On the other end, nobody’s exactly expecting a Big East title but perhaps there’s enough here to get the Musketeers back into the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Starters
Guard – Chance Westry (Senior)
Between injuries and inconsistency we didn’t see a lot of Westry early in his career at Auburn or Syracuse but last year was a major breakout campaign. The former Top 40 recruit starred at UAB, averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 assists, leading the American in the latter. Westry steps into a major role as the field general for a Musketeers offense full of new faces and we’ll see how he handles playing in the Big East.
Guard – Tru Washington (Senior)
Another significant player with major conference experience, Washington actually played for Pitino at New Mexico for a pair of seasons before heading to Miami last year. He was a major part of the Lobos’ success in 2025 before averaging 11.9 points and 4.0 rebounds a game with the Hurricanes as a junior. Both his familiarity with this system and playmaking ability have the Musketeers excited.
Guard – Ruben Dominguez (Senior)
A 6-6 guard from Spain, Dominguez put together a really solid first season of collegiate ball playing at Texas A&M last year. A starter for a majority of the season, he was good for 10.2 points and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 40% of his 3-pointers for the Aggies. He’ll step into a similarly significant role here, and Xavier is excited about what he brings from long range.
Forward – Jovan Milicevic (Senior)
Perhaps the most notable returning player from last season, Milicevic enters his third season under Pitino, having been a bench piece at New Mexico as a freshman before following him to Xavier. A full-time starter as a sophomore, he put up 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds and showed great potential last season, making 43% of his 3-pointers. Look for him to build on that as an upperclassman.
Forward – Michael Nwoko (Senior)
This becomes the fourth different school for Nwoko, who was a reserve at Miami, solid weapon at Mississippi State, and an important piece for LSU. The Tigers’ starting center last season, he averaged a career-best 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds a night while making nearly 62% of his shots inside the arc. His experience and size are valuable in this lineup, with the Musketeers expecting him to keep stepping up on both ends.
Key Reserves
Forward – Gabriel Pozzato (Sophomore)
An intriguing wing originally from Italy, Pozzato spent his freshman season at Evansville before transferring to Xavier last offseason. He averaged 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in a marvelous year with the Purple Aces, though a meniscus injury cost him all of last season. Pozzato is back on the court and should take on an important role off the bench, with hopes that his shot making gets even better.
Guard – Kalek House (Freshman)
The most significant piece of this year’s freshman class at Xavier, House is a 4-star guard from Scottsdale, Arizona who could certainly see notable minutes in his first college campaign. House can play both backcourt positions and has a great combination of intelligence and toughness, with scoring ability from all over the court.
Forward – Filip Borovicanin (Senior)
Borovicanin is another one of those players whose eligibility remains up in the air, but he’s probably starting in this lineup if he’s available. A forward from Serbia, he was a backup at Arizona before spending the last two seasons with Pitino, putting up 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across an impressive senior season with the Musketeers. Getting that kind of player back again would be a major victory for this lineup.
Forward – Asher Elson (Freshman)
Elson is a 6-11 power forward and an interesting 3-star prospect who’ll hope to carve out a role here with the Musketeers. Some comments on his game make him sound very versatile, with impressive basketball IQ and playmaking ability for a big man. There’s certainly a role for him to play with this team, especially if Borovicanin isn’t eligible in the frontcourt.
Forward – Rolyns Aligbe (Junior)
Following two seasons in the MVC at Southern Illinois, Aligbe entered the portal and found a new home in Xavier’s frontcourt. Originally from Minnesota, he was a decent backup as a freshman before establishing himself as a sophomore, contributing 9.5 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Salukis. He’s got nice size and outside shooting ability and is another solid new piece at forward.
Forward – Nikos Chitikoudis (Senior)
Even more frontcourt depth comes by way of Chitikoudis, a wing originally from Greece who spent time at both North Carolina A&T and Robert Morris. He was the CAA’s best rebounder as a sophomore before averaging 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds last season in his only year with the Colonials. Chitikoudis gets his work done closer to the rim and at his best might be one of the best shot blockers in this lineup.
Guard – Gedeon Basson (Freshman)
He’s a prospect who’s flown under the radar quite a bit, but Basson could turn into quite a steal for Pitino and his staff. Originally from Cameroon, Basson is a strong combo guard who does a little bit of everything, whether it’s scoring, facilitating, or rebounding the ball. Even in his freshman season he clearly has a window to playing time with limited options at the guard positions off the bench.
Schedule Outlook
Three straight home games give Xavier a soft landing before their first real challenge comes in the Greenbrier Tip-Off, facing Mississippi State in West Virginia on November 13. What follows is two more home contests, though among them is a notable challenge against Iowa, a team that was in last season’s Elite Eight.
Their holiday plans aren’t exactly a walk in the park, with the Musketeers heading to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. They’ll finish the month of November with two tricky contests against Texas A&M and Virginia, though we’ll likely start getting a feel for the ceiling of this program with these matchups.
A lot of people will be circling December 5th on the calendar, as that’s the date for the rivalry matchup with Cincinnati as part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. After that it’s just a pair of winnable home games before Big East play starts on the road on December 19th, with plenty of action from there.
Xavier gets two looks at each conference foe and have a relatively soft start to that schedule, with plenty of winnable games among their first seven contests. Back-to-back mid-January road tests at UConn and Villanova pose another litmus test for this team, while St. John’s comes to town shortly thereafter. We’ll see how Pitino fares against his father and the rest of this father, culminating in Senior Night against those Huskies on March 6.
Season Outlook
Last season, the Musketeers went 0-9 combined against UConn, Creighton, St. John’s and Villanova and simply put must be better against the better programs in the Big East, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. There’s just so much different between this team and last year’s team, though you wonder if this staff did enough to build a real Big East contender.
The new starters in the backcourt are great players, with Westry in particular looking like a stud at the point. There’s plenty of experience with these new transfers, though there’s certainly a question about the depth. Behind Westry, Washington, and Dominguez we’re basically looking at two freshmen who could be playing important minutes sooner rather than later.
Xavier has loaded up in the frontcourt, with the potential returns of both Borovicanin and Milicevic clearly a massive offseason victory. We’ll finally get to see just what Pozzato brings to this offense now that he’s healthier while Nwoko figures to get significant run at the 5 with everything he’s shown in recent years on both ends of the court.
They actually had two close contests with St. John’s last season, but nobody’s going to tell you that Pitino’s squad has caught up to his father’s. We’re not comparing them though, as a realistically successful season for the Musketeers includes a return to the Big Dance and making some noise in this Big East. The bottom line is that some of these younger players need to show up when they’re needed and Xavier must play better against top-line competition, especially on their home court.
Add us as a preferred source on Google