Inside the Xavier Musketeers’ Playbook: Secrets That Could Outsmart Le Moyne and Seal the Win

Well, folks, hold onto your hats because Xavier’s season is officially underway — albeit in a fashion that’s as gritty and nerve-wracking as a late November thriller. Coach Richard Pitino, stepping into the Musketeers’ hot seat, didn’t exactly get a fairy-tale debut. Nope, the 66-62 squeaker over Marist was anything but pretty. I mean, the team blew a massive 20-point second-half lead, forcing Pitino to jokingly point at his water bottle and claim it was “all vodka.” You can’t make this stuff up! Still, at the end of the day, a win’s a win, especially with a fresh roster trying to find its rhythm. The real test? Keeping that momentum going when Xavier takes on the Le Moyne Dolphins, a squad still wet behind the ears in Division I basketball. Believe me, with Xavier aiming to notch an 18th consecutive season starting 2-0, the stakes couldn’t be higher. This, my friends, is just the beginning of a rollercoaster ride you’ll wanna keep your eyes glued to. LEARN MORE

Xavier secured a narrow 66-62 victory over Marist in coach Richard Pitino’s debut.
The Musketeers are looking to start their season 2-0 for the 18th consecutive year.
Xavier will face the Le Moyne Dolphins, who are in their third season as a Division I program.

Richard Pitino’s sarcasm was on full display after his tenure as Xavier’s head basketball coach began with an ugly 66-62 win over Marist.

Addressing the media after Xavier survived blowing a 20-point second-half lead, Pitino pointed to his water bottle and joked, “this is all vodka right here.”

But a rough win is still a win, and getting these victories early is vital for Xavier with a brand-new roster that is trying to gel.

Adding to the win column is the bottom line, and Xavier doesn’t care what it looks like.

“We’re gonna be in a lot of close games this year,” Pitino said. “We gotta find a way to win them.”

Xavier’s now trying to find a way to start 2-0 for the 18th consecutive season when the Le Moyne Dolphins visit Cintas Center Nov. 6.

Xavier vs. Le Moyne

Tip: Thursday, 7 p.m., Cintas Center (10,224)

TV/Radio: ESPN+/700 WLW

Ratings: Xavier is No. 70 in KenPom and Le Moyne is No. 341

History: First-ever meeting

Note: Xavier has started 2-0 in 17 consecutive seasons.

Le Moyne is in its third season as a Division I program under head coach Nate Champion.

Le Moyne Dolphins scouting report

Record: 1-0

Head coach: Nate Champion (71-79 at Le Moyne, seventh season)

Offense: 94 ppg

Defense: 50 ppg

Overview: Le Moyne opened its season with a 94-50 win over SUNY Cobleskill, a Division III program. The Dolphins had four players in double figures and shot 53.4% from the floor.

Le Moyne is in its third season as a Division I program and its seventh season under head coach Nate Champion. The 33-year-old and 2014 Le Moyne graduate is the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I this season.

The Dolphins were 9-23 last season and were picked to finish ninth in the Northeast Conference.

Projected lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Ametri Moss (G, 6’0″, 5 ppg)

Trent Mosquera (G, 6’5″, 6 ppg)

Deng Garang (G, 6’6″, 16 ppg)

Tennessee Rainwater (G, 6’6″, 13 ppg)

Shilo Jackson (F, 6’9″, 9 ppg)

Jovan Milicevic (24) hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final two minutes of regulation to help Xavier win its season-opener over Marist, 66-62. Milicevic finished with 14 points off the bench.

Xavier Musketeers scouting report

Record: 1-0

Head coach: Richard Pitino (1-0 at Xavier, first season)

Offense: 66 ppg

Defense: 62 ppg

Roddie Anderson III (0) was just 1-of-8 from the field in his Xavier debut but he committed just one turnover in 33 minutes and led the team with four assists.

Projected lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Roddie Anderson III (G, 6’3″, 7 ppg)

Malik Messina-Moore (G, 6’5″, 16 ppg)

Filip Borovicanin (F, 6’9″, 0 ppg)

Tre Carroll (F, 6’8″, 11 ppg)

Anthony Robinson (F/C, 6’10”, 4 ppg)

Players to watch

All Wright

Wright could make his way into Xavier’s starting lineup at some point. The Valparaiso transfer provided a big spark off the bench for Xavier’s struggling offense against Marist, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a 4-of-5 performance from 3-point range.

Tre Carroll

Carroll was Xavier’s best player in the preseason and should shoot it better than his 4-of-14 performance in the opener.

Carroll went 0-for-5 from downtown and had a team-high five turnovers. He’ll continue to play a big role moving forward and he’ll look to bounce back.

Filip Borovicanin

Borovicanin struggled mightily in his Xavier debut. He got the start but played just 12 scoreless minutes. He finished 0-for-5 from the field with one assist, one rebound and a turnover.

Tre Carroll (12) had 11 points in Xavier's win over Marist.

Keys to a Xavier victory over Le Moyne

Bring the first-half defense from season-opener to Le Moyne matchup

Xavier is trying to build chemistry on both sides of the ball, but the Musketeers’ defense looked like it had been playing together for years in the first half against Marist.

Xavier forced 11 turnovers, gave up just 19 points and held Marist without a field goal for over eight minutes to build a 10-point halftime lead.

The second half was a different story as Marist mounted a comeback by shooting 60.9% from the field. That performance was equal parts caused by Xavier’s turnovers leading to mismatches and Xavier’s defense struggling to disrupt like it did in the beginning of the game.

Pitino said the blueprint is there for Xavier to be a strong defensive team. They just need to do it for a full 40 minutes. For all of Le Moyne’s horrendous metrics last season, the Dolphins were middle of the pack offensively in effective field goal percentage and top 100 from inside the arc.

Guard Malik Messina-Moore (1) led Xavier with 16 points against Marist.

Leave little doubt against big underdog

Le Moyne will likely be the worst team on Xavier’s schedule by season’s end.

Last year, the Dolphins were KenPom’s 11th-worst team in all of college basketball (No. 354). Le Moyne went 5-10 in non-conference play, and its 10 losses were by an average of 20.4 points.

Xavier’s offense should thrive against a defense that was No. 361 last season. A cruise-control win could be a confidence-builder for a young team that would also decrease Pitino’s stress levels.

“I want some blowouts. I was gonna puke out there,” Pitino said after Xavier survived a scare from Marist.