On the eve of Election Day, Xavier men’s basketball delivered an emphatic vote of confidence in its revamped roster with a dominant 97-52 over Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 2.
After months of rebuilding, offseason fodder and three exhibition contests, Xavier was ready when the 2026-27 season officially tipped off at Cintas Center against the Mountaineers.
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Xavier stepped on the gas early and never looked back in winning its 37th consecutive season-opener.
Head coach Richard Pitino, who won his previous season opener last year in hold-your-breath fashion against Marist, raved about the depth of this year’s team during preseason press conferences.
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That depth was on display as Xavier flexed its muscles on both ends of the floor. After getting a wake-up call by Kent State in its final exhibition contest, Xavier opened Monday’s contest on a 13-0 run, highlighted by two Jovan Milicevic 3-pointers and newcomer Mike Nwoko’s first point as a Musketeer came on a thunderous alley-oop.
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In the first half, Xavier had nine different players make a basket while shooting 58.8% from the field and 50% from downtown (8-for-16). Xavier led, 39-5, shortly after the under-eight media timeout and held the visiting Mountaineers to just 5-for-30 (16.7%) shooting in the opening stanza with 11 turnovers.
Overall, 12 different Musketeers made a bucket. Chance Westry, who started the opening exhibition game against Dayton before coming off the bench against Tennessee and Kent State, led Xavier with 17 points. Xavier also had Milicevic (14), Tru Washington (10) and Nwoko (10) in double figures.
Three more Muskies had at least seven points as Filip Borovicanin, Ruben Dominguez, Gabriel Pozzato and Rolyns Aligbe combined for 31.
Xavier begins the year with three straight home affairs before a neutral site contest against Mississippi State at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia on Nov. 13. Next up is Eastern Michigan at Cintas Center on Nov. 6.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier flexes its muscles in blowout opening win over Mount St. Mary’s
