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Xavier University
Mount St. Mary's
10.30.26 | Men's Basketball
Xavier has won 36-straight regular season openers.
CINCINNATI --- The Xavier Musketeers open the 2026-27 season against Mount St. Mary's on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at Cintas Center. Xavier has 11 newcomers, including seven transfers and four freshmen under the direction of second-year head coach Richard Pitino. Four scholarship players return from last season, although only two (Filip Borovićanin and Jovan Milićević) played in a game for XU.
Xavier has won 36-straight regular season openers (35 at home, including the last 27, and one road win at Butler to open the 1998-99 season). Xavier's 36-game win streak in regular season openers ranks best in the nation, a streak that began with a win over Mount St. Mary's in the 1990-91 season.
TV/Stream: ESPN+ with pbp from Paul Fritschner and analysis from Austin Parkinson.
Xavier Radio: 55KRC with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer Joe Sunderman ('79) and analysis from XU all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Byron Larkin ('88). The game is also available on the Xavier Musketeers App. and Varsity Network.
Live Stats: Media stats at Statbroadcast.com and fan stats at GoXavier.com.
• Xavier is opening the regular season for the second-straight year vs. a Metro Conference team. XU defeated Marist 66-62 in its opener last season at Cintas Center (11-3-25)
• Xavier is playing the first of three-straight home games to open the regular season. XU plays five of its first six games at Cintas Center.
• Xavier has won 36-straight regular season openers, a streak that ranks best in the
nation. The next closest teams to that streak are at 26-straight: Texas Tech, East Carolina and Duke). XU's last loss in a regular season opener came in the 1989-90 season.
• Xavier finished with a 3-0 record in exhibition play, including a 76-70 win over Kent State on Oct. 23 at Cintas Center. XU won at Tennessee, 86-70 on Oct. 15. Tru Washington finished with a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists. Nikos Chitikoudis scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half at UT. Xavier won its exhibition opener vs. Dayton on Oct. 7, 82-76, in a game that was played outside in Mason, Ohio.
• Xavier has 11 newcomers, including seven transfers and four freshmen. Four scholarship players return from last season, although only two (Filip Borovićanin and Jovan Milićević) played in a game for XU. The other two sat out as medical redshirts.
• Xavier placed two players, Mike Nwoko and Jovan Milićević, on the preseason BIG EAST Conference Third Team selected by the coaches. The duo, who both call Toronto, Ontario home, are the co-captains of this year's team.
• Xavier has made at least the NCAA Sweet 16 seven times since 2008, including 2023, which ranks first in the BIG EAST and tied for 11th in the nation. The 10 schools that have been to more Sweet 16s during that time: Duke (12), Michigan State (11), UNC (10), Gonzaga (10),
