| Xavier Musketeers men's basketball | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| University | Xavier University | ||||||||
| Head coach | Richard Pitino (1st season) | ||||||||
| Conference | Big East | ||||||||
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||||||||
| Arena | Cintas Center (capacity: 10,212) | ||||||||
| Colors | Navy blue, white, and gray[1] | ||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||
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| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||||||||
| 2004, 2008, 2017 | |||||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||
| MCC: 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 A-10: 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006 | |||||||||
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| Conference division regular-season champions | |||||||||
| A-10: 1997, 1998 | |||||||||
| NIT champions | |||||||||
| 1958, 2022 | |||||||||
TheXavier Musketeers men's basketball team representsXavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in theBig East Conference.[2] Xavier has appeared in theNCAA tournament 30 times, 16 times in the 18 tournaments between 2001 and 2018. On March 11, 2018, Xavier earned its first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.[3] Xavier is also a two-time winner of the NIT, with their most recent championship coming in 2022.
Xavier won fourAtlantic 10 tournament championships (1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006). Xavier has won or shared 17 regular season conference championships, while winning 9 conference tournament championships. In addition, they have won oneBig East Conference regular season title in 2018. They made the 2023 Big East Championship but lost to the Marquette Golden Eagles.[4][5]
Xavier has been listed among the top-20 most valuable college basketball teams.[6]
The first Xavier basketball game on record was February 20, 1920 at theFenwick Club inCincinnati. Coached byJoe Meyer, the Musketeers compiled a 94–52 record during Meyer's 13-year run as head coach from 1920 to 1933. The Musketeer's success continued under second head coachClem Crowe. During Crowe's 10 years as Xavier head coach, Xavier compiled a record of 96–78. Crowe's 96 wins as a head coach rank fourth all-time among Xavier head coaches.[7]
Following the 1942–43 season, play was suspended for the following two seasons because of World War II. In 1945, the program resumed under the leadership of head coach Ed Burns. In his one season as head coach, Burns compiled a record of 3–16.
In 1946, Burns was replaced by Lew Hirt. Under Hirt, the Musketeers first postseason appearance was in theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) during the1948 NAIA National Basketball tournament, the national tournament for small colleges. Xavier finished in 4th place, losing toHamline University in the national third-place game, 58–59. 1948 was the only year Xavier appeared in theNAIA tournament.[8]
In 1951, Hirt was replaced as head coach byNed Wulk. Wulk guided the Musketeers toNational Invitational Tournament appearances in1956 and1957. The 1956 appearance marked Xavier's first NIT win, an 84–80 victory overSaint Louis.[8]
After a loss toBradley in the 1957 NIT, Wulk was replaced as head coach byJim McCafferty. McCafferty led the Musketeers back to a third straight NIT in1958. With wins overNiagara, Bradley,St. Bonaventure andDayton, Xavier captured the NIT. According to most college basketball historians, the NIT was the elite post season tournament until the NCAA overtook it in the early 1960s. That was the first postseason championship won by any Ohio Division I school.
In 1961, McCafferty led Xavier to their first appearance in theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. On March 14, 1961, Xavier fell toMorehead State at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds inLouisville, Kentucky.
McCafferty was replaced as head coach in 1963. He would be followed by Don Ruberg (1963–67), George Krajack (1967–71), Dick Campbell (1971–73) andTay Baker (1973–79).
In 1979, Xavier was one of the charter members of theMidwestern City Conference (nicknamed the MCC or Midwestern City 6, and now known as the Horizon League), which also includedButler,Evansville,Loyola (Chicago),Oklahoma City, andOral Roberts. That year also marked the hiring of head coachBob Staak, who compiled an 88–86 record during his six seasons as head coach, including a return to both the NCAA Tournament and NIT.
1985 once again marked considerable change for the program. In addition to the hiring of head coachPete Gillen, the Midwestern City Conference altered its name slightly to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, adding more teams includingDetroit,Notre Dame (excluding men's basketball and football),Saint Louis,Marquette andDayton. The MCC is the predecessor to the present-dayHorizon League. Xavier was a member of the MCC from 1979 to 1995 and won eight regular season and six conference tournament championships.
From 1985 to 1994, Gillen compiled a 202–75 record, including the program's first five wins in the NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in seven of Gillen's nine years at the helm. In 1990, Xavier beatKansas State and future Big East colleaguesGeorgetown to advance to the program's first Sweet Sixteen.
Skip Prosser was hired in the spring of 1994 to replace departed head coachPete Gillen. In his seven seasons as head coach, Prosser compiled a 148–65 record with fourNCAA tournament appearances. Prosser's 148 wins are third all-time at Xavier. During his time at Xavier, Prosser continued to build on the momentum Gillen had created. Early in his tenure, Prosser added recruits Gary Lumpkin, Darnell Williams, Lenny Brown andJames Posey. Those four players provided the core of Prosser's success during his time at Xavier. After missing the NCAA Tournament in both 1999 and 2000, Xavier returned to the tournament in 2001. Following a loss toNotre Dame in the tournament's first round, Prosser accepted the position of head coach atWake Forest.
Thad Matta left alma materButler to replace Skip Prosser as Xavier's head coach in 2001. Hired with only one year of head coaching experience, Matta inherited a talented core of players inDavid West,Lionel Chalmers, andRomain Sato. During his three years at the helm, Matta compiled a record of 78–23, with three straightNCAA tournament appearances and Xavier's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Matta won twoAtlantic 10 regular-season championships in his first two years behind the play of National Player of the Year David West. Following Matta's second year, West was drafted in the first round of the2003 NBA draft by theNew Orleans Hornets. With West's departure, seniors Lionel Chalmers, Romain Sato and Anthony Myles became the team's cornerstone for the 2003–04 season. After a 10–9 start, Xavier closed the season by winning 16 of its last 18 games. "The Run", as it became known, left Xavier 3 points shy of making the program's firstNCAA Final Four appearance.
The summer following Xavier's first Elite Eight appearance, Matta was offered and accepted the position of head men's basketball coach atOhio State. Xavier Athletic Director, Dawn Rogers, quickly promoted Xavier Associate Head CoachSean Miller.[9] From 2004 to 2009, Miller compiled a record of 120–47. Advancing to the NCAA Tournament in four of his five seasons as head coach, Miller led the Musketeers to another Elite Eight appearance in2008 and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in2009. During Miller's tenure as head coach, Xavier continued to shed the "mid-major" label and separate itself as one of the country's premier college basketball programs.[10] Miller's NCAA Tournament success, aggressive non-conference scheduling and national recruiting allowed Xavier to be recognized with the likes of Memphis and Gonzaga as one of the premier basketball programs.[11] After turning away interest from many programs, Sean Miller left Xavier to become the head basketball coach atArizona.
On April 15, 2009, Xavier's Athletic Director named Xavier Assistant CoachChris Mack as the 17th head basketball coach in the program's history.[12] ACincinnati native and Xavier graduate, Mack compiled a record of 26–9 in hisfirst year as head coach. Behind the play of2010 NBA draft pickJordan Crawford, Xavier advanced to theNCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen for a third straight season. Chris Mack, the 2009–10Basketball Times Rookie Coach of the Year,[13] was the first Xavier head coach to lead the Musketeers to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season at the helm. With a 14–2 record inAtlantic 10 play, Xavier also won a share of their fourth straight conference championship.
Finishing with a 24–8 overall record including a 15–1 record in theA-10, Mack lead the Musketeers to a fifth consecutive A-10 title and anotherNCAA tournament berth in2010–11.
In a2011–12 season filled with highs and lows. The early season was marred by theCrosstown Shootout brawl in their yearly rivalry game againstCincinnati. The Musketeers had reached as high as #8 in the AP Poll before numerous suspensions from theCrosstown Shootout brawl lead to the team losing 5 of their next 6 games. Xavier rebounded from this ugly incident and reached Mack's secondSweet Sixteen.
In 2013, Xavier joined the newly reconstitutedBig East Conference followingBig East conference realignment. Xavier became one of the new members of the new 10-teamBig East with the "Catholic 7" (DePaul,Georgetown,Marquette,Providence,Seton Hall,St. John's, andVillanova) plusButler andCreighton. Xavier finished their first season in the Big East with a record of 21–13, 10–8 to finish Big East play in a tie for third place. They received a bid to theNCAA tournament, but lost in the First Round (First Four).
The2014–15 season also saw a return to theSweet Sixteen for the Musketeers. From 2008 to 2015, Xavier made five Sweet Sixteens, tied for third in the nation withWisconsin over that span behind onlyLouisville andMichigan State. The2015–16 team finished second in theBig East toVillanova, Xavier's highest finish in the Big East, and advanced to the Second Round of theNCAA tournament.[14]
In 2017, Mack led Xavier to a 24–14 season and got the 11th seed in the West and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating 6th seed Maryland, 3rd seed Florida State, and 2nd seed Arizona. In the Elite Eight they lost to Gonzaga.
Mack's 215 wins concluding the 2017–18 season placed him first in all-time wins in Xavier history.
On March 27, 2018, Mack was named the head coach at theUniversity of Louisville.[15] Four days after Mack left Xavier for Louisville, longtime Xavier assistant coachTravis Steele was named head coach of the Musketeers.[16] Despite success against rival Cincinnati, Steele was criticized for his inability to lead the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament. After missing the tournament for the fourth consecutive year, Steele was fired on March 16, 2022.
Only three days after the firing of Travis Steele, Xavier hired former head coach Sean Miller as his replacement.[17] During the period in between Steele’s exit and Miller’s full installation as head coach Jonas Hayes served as interim. Hayes would lead the Musketeers to their second-ever NIT championship.
In his first season back at Xavier, Miller led the team to a 27-10 record, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament as a no. 3 seed, where they would be eliminated in the Sweet 16 by Texas. The Musketeers struggled in Miller's second year back, posting a 16-18 record, which broke the team's long streak of winning seasons. Xavier would return to national prominence in the 2024-25 season, however, finishing with a 21-10 regular-season record. The team reached the NCAA Tournament as a no. 11 seed, led by the resurgent All-Conference forwardZach Freemantle, who had been injured for the entirety of the previous year. Xavier defeated Texas in the First Four in Dayton, 86-80, before losing in the NCAA first round to no. 6 seed Illinois, 86-73, in Milwaukee.
On March 23, 2025 it was reported that Miller would be leaving Xavier to become the next head coach at the University of Texas. Miller's second departure was met with widespread outrage from Xavier fans, as Miller had previously expressed regret at having left Xavier in 2009.
On March 26, 2025 Xavier announced thatRichard Pitino would become their next head basketball coach.
Xavier currently plays its home games at theCintas Center, a 10,212 seat multi-purpose arena that opened in 2000. The Cintas Center is the fifth different home site in program history.
At Cintas Center, Xavier enjoys one of the nation's best home court advantages. As of April 2018 the Musketeers have compiled a 258–41 (an .863 winning percentage) record since moving to its on-campus home in 2000. Xavier enjoyed a 15–0 mark at home during the 2009–10, its only perfect record for a season at Cintas Center. During the 2017–2018 season, the Musketeers set a Cintas Center record with 17 home victories. The building was named the #3 "Toughest Place to Play" on EA Sports' NCAA Basketball '10. In August 2018 the NCAA named it as the 8th toughest home court in college basketball.[18]
Through the 2018–2019 season, Cintas Center has hosted 3,011,308 fans for Xavier home games and the Musketeers have averaged 10,071 fans (better than 98% capacity) per game during that time. The 2017–2018 season marked the highest average attendance in Cintas Center history with an average 10,475 (over 102% capacity) Musketeer fans at each home game.
| Season | Record | Pct. | Games | Attendance | Average | Sellouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 13–1 | .929 | 14 | 141,011[19] | 10,072 | 12 |
| 2001–02 | 13–1 | .929 | 14 | 143,129[20] | 10,224 | 13 |
| 2002–03 | 14–1 | .933 | 15 | 152,664[21] | 10,178 | 14 |
| 2003–04 | 13–3 | .813 | 16 | 158,432[22] | 9,902 | 8 |
| 2004–05 | 12–4 | .750 | 16 | 178,259[23] | 9,903 | 7 |
| 2005–06 | 11–4 | .733 | 15 | 146,615[24] | 9,774 | 4 |
| 2006–07 | 14–1 | .933 | 15 | 148,650[25] | 9,910 | 5 |
| 2007–08 | 16–1 | .941 | 17 | 170,133[26] | 10,008 | 9 |
| 2008–09 | 14–1 | .933 | 15 | 151,456[27] | 10,097 | 11 |
| 2009–10 | 15–0 | 1.000 | 15 | 151,843[28] | 10,123 | 7 |
| 2010–11 | 14–1 | .933 | 15 | 151,475[29] | 10,098 | 9 |
| 2011–12 | 13–3 | .813 | 16 | 162,474[30] | 10,155 | 10 |
| 2012–13 | 11–4 | .733 | 15 | 146,710[31] | 9,781 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | 15–2 | .882 | 17 | 168,127[32] | 9,890 | 7 |
| 2014–15 | 13–3 | .813 | 16 | 159,974[33] | 9,998 | 9 |
| 2015–16 | 15–1 | .938 | 16 | 164,501[34] | 10,281 | 11 |
| 2016–17 | 12–4 | .750 | 16 | 164,520[35] | 10,282 | 12 |
| 2017–18 | 17–1 | .944 | 18 | 188,554[36] | 10,475 | 18 |
| 2018–19 | 13–5 | .722 | 18 | 180,611[37] | 10,034 | 13 |
| 2019–20 | 12–5 | .706 | 17 | 175,281[38] | 10,311 | 12 |
| 2020–21 | 11–2 | .846 | 13 | 5,766[39] | 444 | N/A |
| 2021–22 | 16–5 | .762 | 21 | 189,793[40] | 9,038 | 12 |
| 2022–23 | 15–2 | .882 | 17 | 174,869[41] | 10,286 | 15 |
| 2023–24 | 11–7 | .611 | 18 | 185,683[42] | 10,316 | 15 |
| 2024–25 | 15–2 | .882 | 17 | |||
| Total | 367–64 | .852 | 431 | 3,760,530 | 10,049 | 234 |
The Musketeers played their final season at Cincinnati Gardens in 1999–2000. Located two miles from the Xavier campus, the Gardens was the home court for the Xavier Musketeers since the 1983–84 season.
The Xavier men's team played all of its regular season games off campus at the Cincinnati Gardens for 17 years, beginning with the 1983–84 season and ending with an NIT game against Marquette in the 1999–2000 season. The only exception was a game against Florida International that was played at Schmidt Fieldhouse on January 9, 1988.[43]
Xavier compiled an impressive 215–25 (.896) record after moving to the Gardens in the 1983–84 season, including 14–1 in its final season.
Prior to moving to theCincinnati Gardens in the 1983–84 season, Xavier called Schmidt Fieldhouse home. Located on the west side of the Xavier Campus, Xavier compiled an impressive 326–129 (.716) record at the Fieldhouse.[44]
Until opening Cintas Center, the men's basketball team had only played one regular season game on campus since early in the 1983–84 season. Xavier scored a school-record point total in a 125–84 win over Florida International on Saturday, January 9, 1988.
The Musketeers have also usedRiverfront Coliseum and the Fenwick Club.
The Musketeers have appeared in theNCAA tournament 30 times. Their combined record is 31–30.[45]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | First Round | Morehead State | L 66–71 | |
| 1983 | No. 12 | Preliminary Round | No. 12Alcorn State | L 75–81 |
| 1986 | No. 12 | First Round | No. 5Alabama | L 80–97 |
| 1987 | No. 13 | First Round Second Round | No. 4Missouri No. 5Duke | W 70–69 L 60–65 |
| 1988 | No. 11 | First Round | No. 6Kansas | L 72–85 |
| 1989 | No. 14 | First Round | No. 3Michigan | L 87–92 |
| 1990 | No. 6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 11Kansas State No. 3Georgetown No. 10Texas | W 87–79 W 74–71 L 89–102 |
| 1991 | No. 14 | First Round Second Round | No. 3Nebraska No. 11Connecticut | W 89–84 L 50–66 |
| 1993 | No. 9 | First Round Second Round | No. 8New Orleans No. 1Indiana | W 73–55 L 70–73 |
| 1995 | No. 11 | First Round | No. 6Georgetown | L 63–68 |
| 1997 | No. 7 | First Round Second Round | No. 10Vanderbilt No. 2UCLA | W 80–68 L 83–96 |
| 1998 | No. 6 | First Round | No. 11Washington | L 68–69 |
| 2001 | No. 11 | First Round | No. 6Notre Dame | L 71–83 |
| 2002 | No. 7 | First Round Second Round | No. 10Hawaii No. 2Oklahoma | W 70–58 L 65–78 |
| 2003 | No. 3 | First Round Second Round | No. 14Troy State No. 6Maryland | W 71–59 L 64–77 |
| 2004 | No. 7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | No. 10Louisville No. 2Mississippi State No. 3Texas No. 1Duke | W 80–70 W 89–74 W 79–71 L 63–66 |
| 2006 | No. 14 | First Round | No. 3Gonzaga | L 75–79 |
| 2007 | No. 9 | First Round Second Round | No. 8BYU No. 1Ohio State | W 79–77 L 71–78OT |
| 2008 | No. 3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | No. 14Georgia No. 6Purdue No. 7West Virginia No. 1UCLA | W 73–61 W 85–78 W 79–75OT L 57–76 |
| 2009 | No. 4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 13Portland State No. 12Wisconsin No. 1Pittsburgh | W 77–59 W 60–49 L 55–60 |
| 2010 | No. 6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 11Minnesota No. 3Pittsburgh No. 2Kansas State | W 65–54 W 71–68 L 96–1012OT |
| 2011 | No. 6 | Second Round | No. 11Marquette | L 55–66 |
| 2012 | No. 10 | Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 7Notre Dame No. 15Lehigh No. 3Baylor | W 67–63 W 70–58 L 70–75 |
| 2014 | No. 12 | First Four | No. 12NC State | L 59–74 |
| 2015 | No. 6 | Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 11Ole Miss No. 14Georgia State No. 2Arizona | W 76–57 W 75–67 L 60–68 |
| 2016 | No. 2 | First Round Second Round | No. 15Weber State No. 7Wisconsin | W 71–53 L 63–66 |
| 2017 | No. 11 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | No. 6Maryland No. 3Florida State No. 2Arizona No. 1Gonzaga | W 76–65 W 91–66 W 73–71 L 59–83 |
| 2018 | No. 1 | First Round Second Round | No. 16Texas Southern No. 9Florida State | W 102–83 L 70–75 |
| 2023 | No. 3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 14Kennesaw State No. 11Pittsburgh No. 2Texas | W 72-67 W 84–73 L 71–83 |
| 2025 | No. 11 | First Four First Round | No. 11Texas No. 6Illinois | W 86–80 L 73–86 |
*Following the introduction of the"First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 forward, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 are called the First and Second Rounds, as they were prior to 2011.
TheNCAA began seeding the tournament with the1979 edition.
| Years | '83 | '86 | '87 | '88 | '89 | '90 | '91 | '93 | '95 | '97 | '98 | '01 | '02 | '03 | '04 | '06 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | '23 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
The Musketeers have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 21–8. They were NIT Champions in 1958 and 2022.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | First Round Quarterfinals | Saint Louis Dayton | W 84–80 L 68–72 |
| 1957 | First Round Quarterfinals | Seton Hall Bradley | W 85–79 L 81–116 |
| 1958 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | Niagara Bradley St. Bonaventure Dayton | W 95–86 W 72–62 W 72–53 W 78–74 |
| 1984 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Ohio State Nebraska Michigan | W 60–57 W 58–57 L 62–63 |
| 1994 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Miami (OH) Northwestern Villanova | W 80–68 W 83–79 L 74–76 |
| 1999 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Toledo Wake Forest Princeton Clemson Oregon | W 86–84 W 87–76 W 65–58 L 76–79 W 106–75 |
| 2000 | First Round Second Round | Marquette Notre Dame | W 67–63 L 64–76 |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round | Toledo Texas | W 78–64 L 76–78OT |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | Cleveland State Florida Vanderbilt St. Bonaventure Texas A&M | W 72–68 W 72–56 W 75–73 W 84–77 W 73–72 |
| 2024 | First Round | Georgia | L 76–78 |
The Musketeers have appeared in theNAIA tournament one time. Their record is 3–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Northwestern State New Britain State Mankato State Louisville Hamline | W 67–43 W 57–35 W 62–50 L 49–56 L 58–59 |
The following table shows Xavier players selected in the NBA or ABA draft or appearing on an NBA or ABA roster.
| Draft Year | Player | Team | Round | Pick (Overall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Mal McMullen | Baltimore | 6 | 5 (57) |
| 1952 | Gene Smith | Minneapolis | 15 | 1 (104) |
| 1953 | Hank Budde | Minneapolis | 9 | 9 (79) |
| 1954 | Bob Heim | Baltimore | 6 | 1 (46) |
| 1956 | Dave Piontek | Rochester | 3 | 1 (16) |
| 1957 | Jim Boothe | Cincinnati | 12 | 1 (80) |
| 1958 | Frank Tartaton | Cincinnati | 11 | 2 (74) |
| 1959 | Hank Stein | St. Louis | 3 | 7 (21) |
| Joe Viviano | Cincinnati | 10 | 1 (65) | |
| 1962 | Jack Thobe | Cincinnati | 4 | 6 (33) |
| Bill Kirvin | Philadelphia[a] | 8 | 7 (67) | |
| Frank Pinchback | Cincinnati | 11 | 4 (88) | |
| 1964 | Bob Pelkington | Philadelphia | 8 | 4 (65) |
| Joe Geiger | Cincinnati | 8 | 8 (69) | |
| 1966 | Brian Williams | St. Louis | 8 | 4 (72) |
| 1968 | Bob Quick | Baltimore (NBA) | 2 | 4 (18) |
| Indiana (ABA) | 4 | 6 (39) | ||
| 1969 | Luther Rackley | Cincinnati (NBA) | 3 | 8 (37) |
| Minnesota (ABA) | 1 | 4 (4) | ||
| 1973 | Bob Fullerton | Buffalo (NBA) | 9 | 3 (140) |
| San Antonio (ABA) | 3 Senior | 5 (41) | ||
| Conny Warren | Philadelphia (NBA) | 12 | 1 (175) | |
| Denver (ABA) | 9 Supp. | 2 (188) | ||
| 1979 | Nick Daniels | Kansas City | 7 | 17 (145) |
| 1983 | Tony Hicks | Milwaukee | 7 | 18 (157) |
| Jon Hanley | Cleveland | 10 | 2 (208) | |
| 1984 | Vic Fleming | Portland | 2 | 2 (26) |
| Jeff Jenkins | Seattle | 4 | 13 (83) | |
| John Shimko | Cleveland | 9 | 3 (187) | |
| Dexter Bailey | Denver | 10 | 9 (215) | |
| 1989 | Stan Kimbrough | Detroit | undrafted | |
| 1990 | Tyrone Hill | Golden State | 1 | 11 (11) |
| Derek Strong | Philadelphia | 2 | 20 (47) | |
| 1993 | Aaron Williams | Utah | undrafted | |
| 1994 | Brian Grant | Sacramento | 1 | 8 (8) |
| 1995 | Michael Hawkins | Boston | undrafted | |
| Larry Sykes | Boston | undrafted | ||
| 1998 | Torraye Braggs | Utah | 2 | 28 (57) |
| 1999 | James Posey | Denver | 1 | 18 (18) |
| 2003 | David West | New Orleans | 1 | 18 (18) |
| 2004 | Lionel Chalmers | Los Angeles Clippers | 2 | 4 (33) |
| David Young[b] | Seattle | 2 | 12 (41) | |
| Romain Sato | San Antonio | 2 | 23 (52) | |
| 2009 | Derrick Brown | Charlotte | 2 | 10 (40) |
| 2010 | Jordan Crawford | New Jersey | 1 | 27 (27) |
| 2014 | Semaj Christon | Miami | 2 | 25 (55) |
| 2017 | Edmond Sumner | New Orleans | 2 | 22 (52) |
| 2018 | J. P. Macura | Charlotte | undrafted | |
| Trevon Bluiett[c] | New Orleans | undrafted | ||
| 2020 | Naji Marshall | New Orleans | undrafted | |
| 2023 | Colby Jones | Sacramento | 2 | 5 (34) |
| Active players | ||||
| For undrafted players, the team listed is the one with which the player made his NBA debut. The NBA debut of undrafted players may have occurred later than the draft year shown. | ||||
| References:[47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] | ||||
As of March 21, 2024[update], 24 former Xavier players are currently playing professionally overseas.[61]
| Last Year at Xavier | Player | Home Town | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jack Nunge | Newburgh, Indiana |  |
| 2022 | Nate Johnson | Hollywood, Florida |  |
| 2022 | Paul Scruggs | Indianapolis, Indiana |  |
| 2021 | Bryan Griffin | Pomona, New York |  |
| 2020[d] | Dontarius James | Kershaw, South Carolina |  |
| 2020 | Tyrique Jones | Hartford, Connecticut |  |
| 2019 | Kyle Castlin | Marietta, Georgia |  |
| 2019 | Zach Hankins | Charlevoix, Michigan |  |
| 2019[e] | Elias Harden | East Point, Georgia |  |
| 2018 | Trevon Bluiett | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
| 2018 | Kerem Kanter | Gemlik, Turkey | |
| 2018 | Sean O'Mara | Lisle, Illinois |  |
| 2017 | Malcolm Bernard | Middleburg, Florida |  |
| 2017[f] | Eddie Ekiyor | Ottawa, Canada |  |
| 2017 | Edmond Sumner | Detroit, Michigan |  |
| 2016 | Remy Abell | Louisville, Kentucky |  |
| 2016[g] | Larry Austin | Springfield, Illinois |  |
| 2016 | Jalen Reynolds | Detroit, Michigan |  |
| 2015 | Dee Davis | Bloomington, Indiana |  |
| 2014 | Semaj Christon | Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| 2014[h] | Justin Martin | Indianapolis, Indiana |  |
| 2014 | Isaiah Philmore | Bel Air, Maryland | |
| 2013 | Travis Taylor | Union, New Jersey |  |
| 2012 | Tu Holloway | Hempstead, New York |  |
| 2012[i] | Dez Wells | Raleigh, North Carolina | |
Romain Sato, 2010 Italian League MVP, won two straight Italian League Championships in 2009 and 2010.[62] More recently,Justin Doellman was namedACBMVP in2014 while withValencia.[63]Mark Lyons was thetop scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League in both 2015 and 2017.[64][65]Zach Hankins plays forHapoel Jerusalem of theIsraeli Basketball Premier League.
Xavier has a total of 20 players who have won All-American honors during their careers with the program.
|
|
|
| Year | Player | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 1987–88 | Byron Larkin | Midwestern Collegiate Conference |
| 1989–90 | Tyrone Hill | Midwestern Collegiate Conference |
| 1992–93 1993–94 | Brian Grant | Midwestern Collegiate Conference |
| 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 | David West | Atlantic 10 |
| 2010–11 | Tu Holloway | Atlantic 10 |
Xavier has retired jersey numbers for seven players in their history.
| Xavier Musketeers retired numbers | |||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career | No. ret. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Trevon Bluiett | SG | 2014–2018 | 2024 | [66] |
| 10 | Romain Sato | SG | 2001–2004 | 2024 | [67] |
| 23 | Byron Larkin | SG | 1984–1988 | 1997 | [68][69] |
| 30 | David West | PF | 1999–2003 | 2003 | [70] |
| 33 | Brian Grant | PF /C | 1990–1994 | 2011 | [71] |
| 42 | Tyrone Hill | PF | 1986–1990 | 1997 | [72] |
| 52 | Tu Holloway | SG | 2008–2012 | 2024 | [73] |
Former university President Fr. James Hoff has also had a "jersey" retired in memory of all that he contributed to the school and basketball program. This was unveiled before a 2004 meeting with Creighton, where Hoff was vice president of university relations and President of the Creighton Foundation. Fr. Hoff died from cancer in 2004.
| Name (Alma Mater) | Seasons | Games | Wins | Losses | Win % | NCAA Tour | NIT Tour | MCC Tour | A-10 Tour | Big East Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Mack (Xavier) | 9 (2009–18) | 312 | 215 | 97 | .694 | 11–8 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–4 | 7–5 |
| Pete Gillen (Fairfield) | 9 (1985–94) | 277 | 202 | 75 | .729 | 5–7 | 2–1 | 17–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Sean Miller (Pittsburgh) | 8 (2004–09)(2022–2025) | 238 | 185 | 87 | .680 | 8–6 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 8–4 | 3–2 |
| Skip Prosser (Merchant Marine Acad.) | 7 (1994–01) | 213 | 148 | 65 | .695 | 1–4 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 6–5 | 0–0 |
| Cameron Crowe (Notre Dame) | 10 (1933–43) | 174 | 96 | 78 | .552 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Joe Meyer (Xavier) | 13 (1920–33) | 146 | 94 | 52 | .618 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Jim McCafferty (Loyola, La.) | 6 (1957–63) | 162 | 91 | 71 | .562 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Ned Wulk (LaCrosse) | 6 (1951–57) | 159 | 89 | 70 | .560 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Bob Staak (Connecticut) | 6 (1979–85) | 174 | 88 | 86 | .506 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 7–5 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Thad Matta (Butler) | 3 (2001–04) | 101 | 78 | 23 | .772 | 5–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 8–1 | 0–0 |
| Lew Hirt (DePauw) | 5 (1946–51) | 137 | 76 | 61 | .555 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Tay Baker (Cincinnati) | 6 (1973–79) | 159 | 70 | 89 | .440 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Travis Steele (Butler) | 4 (2018–22) | 120 | 70 | 50 | .583 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 |
| Don Ruberg (Xavier) | 4 (1963–67) | 103 | 52 | 51 | .505 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| George Krajack (Clemson) | 4 (1967–71) | 103 | 34 | 69 | .330 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Dick Campbell (Furman) | 2 (1971–73) | 52 | 15 | 37 | .288 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Jonas Hayes (Georgia) | 1 (2022) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 0-0 | 4-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Ed Burns (Xavier) | 1 (1945–46) | 19 | 3 | 16 | .158 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Harry Gilligan (Xavier) | 1 (1919–20) | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Richard Pitino (Providence) | 1 (2025–present) | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
In May 2010, the NCAA honored a school-record tying eight Xavier University athletic programs with Public Recognition Awards for academic excellence.[74] The award is given to the top-ten percent of teams in each sport based on the NCAAAcademic Progress Rate. The APR is a term-by-term progress for every student-athlete in Division I athletics. Out of the 65 teams to make the2010 NCAA tournament Xavier had the 11th highest Academic Progress Rate.[75]
Since 1986, Xavier has graduated every men's basketball player that has exhausted his eligibility.[75]
During the2010 NCAA tournament Xavier's Academic Advisor Sister Rose Ann Fleming garnered considerable national attention for the role she has played in the program's academic success. Fleming was featured inThe New York Times,The Wall Street Journal and on both ABC'sGood Morning America andNBC Nightly News. Fleming has over 40 years of experience as an educator. She was president of Cincinnati's Summit Country Day School from 1975 to 1976 and president ofTrinity College in Washington, D.C. from 1976 to 1982.[76]In addition to the national recognition she received during the2010 NCAA tournament she has also been featured inReader's Digest,Woman's Day, was voted one of theCincinnati Enquirer's Women of the Year, and was the subject of a promotional spot onThe Family Channel.[76]
Xavier's main rival is theUniversity of Cincinnati. The two schools play annually in theSkyline ChiliCrosstown Shootout. Xavier's record in the Shootout is 40–52.
Xavier andDayton play for theBlackburn/McCafferty Trophy, named for former coaches at the respective universities. Dayton has not beaten Xavier in Cincinnati since 1981.[77] Dayton maintains a lead in the overall series 85–76. However, Xavier won nine straight games against Dayton between March 1991 and December 1994, and went 24–8 between the 2001–02 and 2015–16 seasons.[78][79]
Xavier also maintains a heated rivalry withButler, with the Musketeers leading the overall series, 44–24. Xavier won four of the six games between the teams during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, sweeping the four regular-season matchups and losing each year to Butler in the Big East tournament.[80]
Between the 2009–10 and 2024-25 seasons, Xavier playedWake Forest eight times in a series known as theSkip Prosser Classic, named for the former coach of both schools.[81] Xavier won five of the eight games played.[82]
