en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Xavier Musketeers Basketball News https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/news Another offseason for Xavier, and another clean house. However, things feel a bit different this offseason under second-year head coach Richard Pitino. Last offseason, (again), forcing the Musketeers to scramble for a new coach and try to field a competitive team. Xavier finished the year 15-18, ending its season by being routed by UConn in the second round of the Big East Tournament. A disappointing campaign by Xavier’s standards, but one that saw take some major strides. Despite an offensive efficiency rating of 109.2 (185th out of 365) and a defensive efficiency rating of 112.4 (311th out of 365), as well as lacking a true conference-caliber point guard or center, and having to play guys out of position, Pitino was able to keep his team competitive in every game — except for those against UConn. At times, he was forced to slide in at point guard and at center. With a full year under his belt, a whole offseason to work with, and a , Pitino has the Musketeers primed to compete at the top of the Big East again. Xavier is returning one starter from last year’s team: promising 6’10” junior , who averaged 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from three. Xavier also retained , a rising 7’0″ depth center, and , who was expected to be one of Xavier’s best players this season but did not play due to injury. Pozzato still has three years of eligibility remaining. Xavier Looking to Capitalize on Strong Offseason Xavier’s Recruiting Push Xavier has four commitments in their upcoming recruiting class, which is headlined by . House is from Arizona and is the son of former NBA Champion . Kalek House had a long list of offers, some of which included Michigan, Kansas and Arizona State. The Musketeers also added three-star power forward/center . Elson is from Georgia, and like House, he was not lacking Power 5 offers, some of which included St. John’s, Illinois and Auburn. The third addition to the recruiting class was , an exciting combo guard who represented Cameroon at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup. The final piece to Pitino’s class was , a forward from Rhode Island. Aligbe is the younger brother of , a former Southern Illinois forward who also landed at Xavier. The Musketeers’ Portal Haul Now, looking at where Pitino and his staff have really done their damage — the transfer portal. Xavier added seven transfers this spring. They started with LSU’s starting center from last year, , who averaged 13.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG while shooting 61% from the floor. Nwoko is in his final year of eligibility. The Musketeers then added Texas A&M’s starting shooting guard and three-point marksman, . Dominguez averaged 10.2 PPG and shot 40% from deep. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. The poaching of Power Five starters didn’t stop there, as Pitino reunited with his standout shooting guard from New Mexico, . Washington started at Miami last season, and although he is known for his defense, he averaged 11.9 PPG and shot 35% from three. This is Washington’s final year of eligibility. The Musketeers proceeded to add one of the best point guards in the portal: , UAB’s starting floor general from last season. He averaged 15.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 5.5 APG and will have two years of eligibility left. Pitino even brought in the Missouri Valley Conference’s leading rebounder from last season: Rolyns Aligbe. Aligbe was the starting forward/center for Southern Illinois and averaged 9.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG. He has two years of eligibility remaining. A leading rebounder was followed up by the addition of , who was on the last season. He was the starting forward/center for Robert Morris University, averaging 11.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG while shooting 55% from the field. The portal additions were capped off by another former New Mexico player, , a guard who played at Drake last season. He averaged 5.3 PPG, shot 41% from distance, and will have one year of eligibility remaining. Depth Chart Projection PG: Westry, House SG: Washington, Appelhans SF: Dominguez, Pozzato PF: Milicevic, Rolyns Aligbe C: Nwoko, Chitikoudis, Westphal Redshirt Basson, Elson, Harrison Aligbe. The Last Word on Xavier’s Additions The Musketeers came into the offseason with a plan that addressed their two biggest needs: adding a true Big East caliber point guard and center. Pitino has successfully done this with Westry and Nwoko. Xavier then built a strong supporting cast around those two, focusing on defense, rebounding, and three-point shooting. The Musketeers have crafted an exciting team and have many reasons for hope. This is a very complete and balanced roster with a point guard who can create scoring opportunities for himself and others around him. A facilitator surrounded by shooters and an athletic center sounds very exciting. While this team looks very complete, there are still some unanswered questions. Can House be the backup point guard? Can the guys coming off the bench contribute at the Power-5 level? And can Nwoko keep his fouls down and stay on the floo... Wed, 13 May 2026 13:20:30 GMT Luke DeCello https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56605111 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56605111 false false The Xavier Musketeers reportedly are among headliners scheduled to play in the 2026 Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Tue, 12 May 2026 23:47:36 GMT Dave Clark https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56600286 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56600286 false false px-captcha Tue, 12 May 2026 00:23:52 GMT https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56588896 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56588896 false false CINCINNATI --- Xavier University head coach Richard Pitino announced the signing of Braden Appelhans to an athletics aid agreement. Appelhans, a 6-6 guard from Blue Springs, Mo., played this past season at Drake. Prior to Drake, he played three seasons under Pitino at New Mexico, including a redshirt freshman year in the 2022-23 season. Thu, 07 May 2026 17:35:22 GMT Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56543643 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56543643 false false According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, Xavier has tripled its basketball budget for next season. Thu, 07 May 2026 16:30:25 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56542720 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56542720 false false We're looking closely at the new faces in Xavier's transfer class as the Musketeers look to escape the bottom of the Big East next season. Thu, 07 May 2026 15:41:57 GMT Joey Loose https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56542072 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56542072 false false Appelhans, a 6-foot-6 guard who spent three seasons with Richard Pitino at New Mexico, has committed to Xavier. Thu, 07 May 2026 15:12:42 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56541658 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56541658 false false Xavier men's and women's golf are both headed to the NCAA Tournament, thanks to winning the Big East Championships May 4. Cayse Morgan led the effort. Mon, 04 May 2026 22:14:02 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56511227 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56511227 false false CINCINNATI - Xavier Athletics announced that season ticket renewals for Men's Basketball are now available in current seat holder accounts for the 2026-27 season. While the complete schedule is still being finalized, we anticipate to host an 18-game regular-season home schedule, highlighted by a visit from the Iowa Hawkeyes, 10 BIG EAST matchups, plus at least one exhibition game. Mon, 04 May 2026 17:44:58 GMT Xavier Athletic Communications https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56507845 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56507845 false false Drew, a 2015 Xavier Athletics Hall-of-Famer, was the head coach at Lakota East from 2009-2013. Mon, 04 May 2026 17:41:10 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56507793 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56507793 false false Carter Christenson's 3-run, 10th-inning homer lifted Xavier to a victory over the No. 3-ranked Yellow Jackets on Friday, May 1. Sat, 02 May 2026 01:48:08 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56483740 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56483740 false false Here's where Xavier's basketball roster stands after the first full month of the offseason. Fri, 01 May 2026 04:46:38 GMT Shelby Dermer https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56473490 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56473490 false false CINCINNATI --- The NACDA Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) announced that Xavier University's Tre Carroll is among the members of the annual 15-member Scholar-Athlete Team for men's basketball. Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:08:53 GMT Tom Eiser, Xavier Athletic Communications https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56454871 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56454871 false false Xavier's women's tennis teams run of dominance continues. Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:40:04 GMT WKRC Sports https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56434945 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/xavier-musketeers-basketball/articles/56434945 false false