By Ryan Ottiger, Staff Writer

Musketeer fans got an early look at the upcoming basketball season during the annual Musketeer Madness scrimmage at Cintas Center. 

Although the season is still more than a month away and the intrasquad matchup isn’t meant to be overanalyzed, the game offered a first glimpse at this year’s Xavier squad featuring twelve new faces and new head coach Richard Pitino. The preview came despite the absence of All Wright, Gabriel Pozzato, Mier Panoam and Luke Naser—all of whom sidelined by injuries. The teams were:

Team Blue was comprised of Malik Messina-Moore, Filip Borovicanin, Anthony Robinson, Tre Carroll, Jovan Milicevic and Henry Thole.

The players on Team White were Roddie Anderson III, Isaiah Walker, Pape N’Diaye, Kason Westphal, Michael Wolf and Ian Sabourin.

Once play began, fans had their first chance to evaluate Xavier’s many newcomers. The White team struck first behind the dynamic play of guard Anderson III, but the Blue squad quickly came back with a balanced attack. Borovicanin impressed at 6-foot-9, showing finesse around the rim while serving as a legitimate transition playmaker. Robinson controlled the paint defensively and erupted the crowd with highlight dunks. Carroll added his own statement sequence, pinning a shot off the glass before finishing an and-one at the rim on the other end, while Messina-Moore directed the offense and showed a reliable 3-and-D skill set. 

Milicevic also contributed big, draining a Nowitzki-esque fadeaway, converting a four-point play from the corner. Behind that surge, Blue jumped out to a 36–28 halftime lead, which was capped off by an Anderson step-back three. Despite trailing, White showed flashes of promise, especially with Xavier’s new 7-foot frontcourt duo, who paired with Anderson’s steady leadership to keep the deficit within single digits.

Halftime featured a mattress race competition, with two teams diving onto their team’s mattress and sliding it toward the finish line. After a rough start with the setup, the race found its rhythm and drew laughs from the Cintas Center crowd.

In the second half, Blue sustained control of the game, steadily extending the lead with the same balanced approach. White was heavily reliant on Anderson’s shot creation and some strong Walker drives, but the game slipped out of reach. In the end, Blue defeated White, 69-50.

While the game does not count towards the standings, several important themes were still revealed. The Musketeers have serious size across the board and can be an imposing defensive team for Big East competitors this year. 

Five forwards stand between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-10, plus Robinson at 6-foot-10 and a pair of true 7-footers in N’Diaye and Westphal at the center position. Even at the guard spots, size stands out with Messina-Moore and Walker both measuring 6-foot-5 alongside likely starting point guard Roddie Anderson III. 

More depth is also on the way. Wright will soon return from injury after averaging 15.5 points per game at Valparaiso, while Panoam brings backcourt experience from North Dakota and will also soon return.

If there is anything to take away from Friday’s scrimmage, this Musketeer team has significant size, depth and athleticism. This group has the tools to become an imposing defensive unit with offensive upside coming as the roster gets healthier. While fans were not able to see the full roster in action, it is still clear that they will make life difficult for Big East opponents.