By Ben Jenkins, Staff Writer

It was an up and down season for Richard Pitino as in his first year at Xavier, with the Musketeers finishing 15-18 overall and 6-14 in the Big East.

Pitino was put in a tough spot as zero players from Xavier’s 2024-25 team, with the exception of redshirt guard Roddie Anderson III, returned for the 2025-26 season. He had to build an entirely new roster for his first season.

The year started with a few shaky wins over Marist and Le Moyne. Following the 2-0 start, the Santa Clara Broncos, who ended being a tournament team, beat the Musketeers by 20 in the Cintas Center.

Following a road loss to Iowa Pitino and the Musketeers went 6-1 in their next seven games. This was marked by a win in the Crosstown Shootout. This win over the Cincinnati Bearcats will be looked on as a sign of future success for the Pitino era at Xavier. 

Although a win in his first Crosstown Shootout looked to be a sign of good things to come, the Musketeers struggled in Big East play, opening with the largest loss in Cintas Center history, a 41 point defeat to the Creighton University Blue Jays. Pitino got his first career Big East win in the nation’s capital, knocking off Georgetown 80-77. The struggles continued with three straight losses to the University of Connecticut Huskies, the DePaul University Blue Demons, and the Marquette University Golden Eagles.

The end of the regular season was riddled with the inability to close out close games. Six of the final 12 games were decided by less than 10 points.

Another season-defying moment came in this stretch. DePaul had a 18 point lead deep into the second half when the Musketeers rallied back to win by two courtesy of Filip Borovacin’s buzzer beater. 

The close losses hurt but they showed one thing: Pitino has the ability to compete with the best of the best in the Big East.

This was also shown in the Big East Tournament where Pitino and the Musketeers held on to beat Marquette. Even with a loss to UConn in the next round, getting a conference tournament win in his first year is a huge accomplishment.  

The upcoming offseason will prove to be widely important for Pitino’s future at Xavier. He has already landed the commitment of four star point guard Kalek House, who will be brought in to be the future of the point guard position.

Three star Overtime Elite prospect Asher Elson has also committed to Xavier. Elson is a 6 ’11 lengthy forward who can score the ball at will, a huge get for Pitino.

The biggest day of the offseason will be April 7, the day the transfer portal opens. Guards Roddie Anderson and All Wright as well as forward Anthony Robinson have already announced they will be entering the portal.

Losing both point guards will be tough, but second leading scorer Jovan Milicevic has committed to Xavier for next year. Retaining Milicevic will be huge going forward for the Musketeers.

The status for the rest of the team remains in the air. Borovacian is seeking a fifth year of eligibility, and all signs point Gaberiel Pozzato, who missed all of last season due to injury, staying in Cincinnati. Pitino will have to bulk up the roster through the portal.

Pitino’s first season may not have produced the results Xavier Nation has grown accustomed to, there were certainly plenty of bright spots. With a full offseason to recruit and develop talent, Pitino and the Musketeers are in for a promising season next year.