- Joined
- Jan 6, 2015
- Messages
- 8,239
- Reaction Score
- 70,006
After a week in the desert and coming home at 1 AM after a turbulent landing at JFK, I’m a little jet-lagged but in the perfect sleepy-yet-focused mindset to finish up my Xavier scouting report.
Maybe playing a team that last caused Ed Cooley to catapult a water bottle at a kid might seem daunting, but Xavier is just 2–4 against teams with sub-80 KenPom rankings (wins hosting Cincinnati and on a neutral court vs. West Virginia; losses at home to Santa Clara and Creighton, away at Iowa, and on a neutral court vs. Georgia). So far, this group does not possess the quality of Pitino’s recent teams at New Mexico. Returning absolutely no one from last season, Xavier eked out two-possession non-conference wins over Marist and Le Moyne, clearly showcasing an early adjustment period. The group has looked better of late, however, winning six of its last seven, highlighted by wins over West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Georgetown.
Under Richard Pitino, Xavier’s offense was pace-driven and guard-oriented, built around early offense, quick decision-making, and attacking before the defense could get set. The Musketeers leaned heavily on ball screens, dribble penetration, and spacing to create downhill pressure and open threes. While execution could fluctuate, the emphasis was on tempo, aggression, and forcing defensive rotations.
Defensively, Pitino implemented his trademark pressure system, mixing full-court looks with aggressive ball denial to speed opponents up. Xavier aimed to disrupt rhythm, force turnovers, and turn defense into offense rather than sit in the half court. The approach was high-risk, high-reward, prioritizing chaos and activity over conservative containment.
So far, UConn has faced its share of big, productive small forwards, and Xavier’s Tre Carroll has clearly been the team’s best player. A former teammate of Jalen Gaffney on Dusty May’s FAU Final Four squad, Carroll leads the team in scoring, ranks second in rebounds and blocks, and third in assists. An efficient three-level scorer, Carroll is a true inside-out player who uses his size and strength to mismatch smaller threes, though he is just average athletically. Think of him as a four playing the three.
Carroll, along with three other frontcourt players, forms the backbone of Xavier’s defense, as the roster’s defensive strength clearly lies with its forwards and bigs.
Starting power forward Filip Borovicanin is the team’s best all-around defender and serves as Pitino’s culture-setter after transferring from New Mexico. He’s a pass-first offensive player (leading the team in assists) with solid skill, vision, and shooting ability, but his toughness, switchability, and ability to generate turnovers will make him a difficult matchup for Karaban.
Another New Mexico holdover, Jovan Milicevic, starts at center. He’s a big, skilled post player who can stretch the floor with his shooting and is excellent on the offensive glass, but he is a poor defender. If UConn’s bigs feast early, the backup tandem of Pape N’Diaye (UNLV) and Anthony Robinson (Virginia) are classic Big East reserve bigs—limited offensively but stout defensively. Don’t be surprised to see two-big lineups at times, with Milicevic sliding to the four when Borovicanin needs a rest.
With Borovicanin handling most of the facilitating, starting guard All Wright profiles as a score-first, undersized shooting guard. He has been excellent from the perimeter but less efficient inside the arc. He limits mistakes with the ball but is Xavier’s clear-cut weakest defender. On the flip side, Montana transfer Malik Messina-Moore, the starting two guard, is arguably Xavier’s best defender. More facilitator than scorer, he gets his points through athletic slashing, as his jump shot at all levels remains a weakness. His length, however, makes him a strong challenge for whichever UConn guard he draws.
In my opinion, point guard Roddie Anderson should be the starter, with Wright better suited as a microwave scorer off the bench. However, Anderson’s below-average shooting makes it difficult for Miller to play lineups featuring two limited shooters in Anderson and Messina-Moore. That said, Anderson is another solid defensive guard and the team’s best pickpocketer—a high-assist, low-turnover player who, like Messina-Moore, is most effective offensively when attacking the paint, drawing fouls, and getting to the line, despite being a weak spot-up shooter.
Belmont graduate transfer Isaiah Walker has carved out steady bench minutes despite poor metrics on both ends of the floor. Under Casey Alexander’s excellent offense at Belmont, Walker was a capable, high-efficiency starting three-guard who did most of his work inside the arc. North Dakota transfer Mier Panoam (13.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 apg) has yet to earn a consistent role, and Evansville transfer Gabriel Pozzato (15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) has not yet played while recovering from a knee injury. There is some projectability for this team to improve over the next two months, especially under Pitino’s leadership, but for now, Xavier looks like a middling-at-best conference opponent—one that should not be slept on, particularly at Cintas.
Maybe playing a team that last caused Ed Cooley to catapult a water bottle at a kid might seem daunting, but Xavier is just 2–4 against teams with sub-80 KenPom rankings (wins hosting Cincinnati and on a neutral court vs. West Virginia; losses at home to Santa Clara and Creighton, away at Iowa, and on a neutral court vs. Georgia). So far, this group does not possess the quality of Pitino’s recent teams at New Mexico. Returning absolutely no one from last season, Xavier eked out two-possession non-conference wins over Marist and Le Moyne, clearly showcasing an early adjustment period. The group has looked better of late, however, winning six of its last seven, highlighted by wins over West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Georgetown.
Under Richard Pitino, Xavier’s offense was pace-driven and guard-oriented, built around early offense, quick decision-making, and attacking before the defense could get set. The Musketeers leaned heavily on ball screens, dribble penetration, and spacing to create downhill pressure and open threes. While execution could fluctuate, the emphasis was on tempo, aggression, and forcing defensive rotations.
Defensively, Pitino implemented his trademark pressure system, mixing full-court looks with aggressive ball denial to speed opponents up. Xavier aimed to disrupt rhythm, force turnovers, and turn defense into offense rather than sit in the half court. The approach was high-risk, high-reward, prioritizing chaos and activity over conservative containment.
So far, UConn has faced its share of big, productive small forwards, and Xavier’s Tre Carroll has clearly been the team’s best player. A former teammate of Jalen Gaffney on Dusty May’s FAU Final Four squad, Carroll leads the team in scoring, ranks second in rebounds and blocks, and third in assists. An efficient three-level scorer, Carroll is a true inside-out player who uses his size and strength to mismatch smaller threes, though he is just average athletically. Think of him as a four playing the three.
Carroll, along with three other frontcourt players, forms the backbone of Xavier’s defense, as the roster’s defensive strength clearly lies with its forwards and bigs.
Starting power forward Filip Borovicanin is the team’s best all-around defender and serves as Pitino’s culture-setter after transferring from New Mexico. He’s a pass-first offensive player (leading the team in assists) with solid skill, vision, and shooting ability, but his toughness, switchability, and ability to generate turnovers will make him a difficult matchup for Karaban.
Another New Mexico holdover, Jovan Milicevic, starts at center. He’s a big, skilled post player who can stretch the floor with his shooting and is excellent on the offensive glass, but he is a poor defender. If UConn’s bigs feast early, the backup tandem of Pape N’Diaye (UNLV) and Anthony Robinson (Virginia) are classic Big East reserve bigs—limited offensively but stout defensively. Don’t be surprised to see two-big lineups at times, with Milicevic sliding to the four when Borovicanin needs a rest.
With Borovicanin handling most of the facilitating, starting guard All Wright profiles as a score-first, undersized shooting guard. He has been excellent from the perimeter but less efficient inside the arc. He limits mistakes with the ball but is Xavier’s clear-cut weakest defender. On the flip side, Montana transfer Malik Messina-Moore, the starting two guard, is arguably Xavier’s best defender. More facilitator than scorer, he gets his points through athletic slashing, as his jump shot at all levels remains a weakness. His length, however, makes him a strong challenge for whichever UConn guard he draws.
In my opinion, point guard Roddie Anderson should be the starter, with Wright better suited as a microwave scorer off the bench. However, Anderson’s below-average shooting makes it difficult for Miller to play lineups featuring two limited shooters in Anderson and Messina-Moore. That said, Anderson is another solid defensive guard and the team’s best pickpocketer—a high-assist, low-turnover player who, like Messina-Moore, is most effective offensively when attacking the paint, drawing fouls, and getting to the line, despite being a weak spot-up shooter.
Belmont graduate transfer Isaiah Walker has carved out steady bench minutes despite poor metrics on both ends of the floor. Under Casey Alexander’s excellent offense at Belmont, Walker was a capable, high-efficiency starting three-guard who did most of his work inside the arc. North Dakota transfer Mier Panoam (13.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 apg) has yet to earn a consistent role, and Evansville transfer Gabriel Pozzato (15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) has not yet played while recovering from a knee injury. There is some projectability for this team to improve over the next two months, especially under Pitino’s leadership, but for now, Xavier looks like a middling-at-best conference opponent—one that should not be slept on, particularly at Cintas.
Last edited:
