Richard Pitino’s sarcasm was on full display after his tenure as Xavier’s head basketball coach began with an ugly 66-62 win over Marist.
Addressing the media after Xavier survived blowing a 20-point second-half lead, Pitino pointed to his water bottle and joked, “this is all vodka right here.”
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But a rough win is still a win, and getting these victories early is vital for Xavier with a brand-new roster that is trying to gel.
More: Xavier enters Richard Pitino era: How have 1st-time Big East coaches historically fared?
More: Xavier enters Richard Pitino era: How have 1st-time Big East coaches historically fared?
More: Scouting report, keys for Xavier Musketeers basketball in season-opener vs. Marist
Adding to the win column is the bottom line, and Xavier doesn’t care what it looks like.
“We’re gonna be in a lot of close games this year,” Pitino said. “We gotta find a way to win them.”
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Xavier’s now trying to find a way to start 2-0 for the 18th consecutive season when the Le Moyne Dolphins visit Cintas Center Nov. 6.
More: ‘Super optimistic.’ Xavier women’s basketball looks to continue growth with Billi Chambers
Xavier vs. Le Moyne
Tip: Thursday, 7 p.m., Cintas Center (10,224)
TV/Radio: ESPN+/700 WLW
Ratings: Xavier is No. 70 in KenPom and Le Moyne is No. 341
History: First-ever meeting
Note: Xavier has started 2-0 in 17 consecutive seasons.
Le Moyne is in its third season as a Division I program under head coach Nate Champion.
Le Moyne Dolphins scouting report
Record: 1-0
Head coach: Nate Champion (71-79 at Le Moyne, seventh season)
Offense: 94 ppg
Defense: 50 ppg
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Overview: Le Moyne opened its season with a 94-50 win over SUNY Cobleskill, a Division III program. The Dolphins had four players in double figures and shot 53.4% from the floor.
Le Moyne is in its third season as a Division I program and its seventh season under head coach Nate Champion. The 33-year-old and 2014 Le Moyne graduate is the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I this season.
The Dolphins were 9-23 last season and were picked to finish ninth in the Northeast Conference.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Ametri Moss (G, 6’0″, 5 ppg)
Trent Mosquera (G, 6’5″, 6 ppg)
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Deng Garang (G, 6’6″, 16 ppg)
Tennessee Rainwater (G, 6’6″, 13 ppg)
Shilo Jackson (F, 6’9″, 9 ppg)
Jovan Milicevic (24) hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final two minutes of regulation to help Xavier win its season-opener over Marist, 66-62. Milicevic finished with 14 points off the bench.
Xavier Musketeers scouting report
Record: 1-0
Head coach: Richard Pitino (1-0 at Xavier, first season)
Offense: 66 ppg
Defense: 62 ppg
Roddie Anderson III (0) was just 1-of-8 from the field in his Xavier debut but he committed just one turnover in 33 minutes and led the team with four assists.
Projected lineup
(Pos., Height, Stats)
Roddie Anderson III (G, 6’3″, 7 ppg)
Malik Messina-Moore (G, 6’5″, 16 ppg)
Filip Borovicanin (F, 6’9″, 0 ppg)
Tre Carroll (F, 6’8″, 11 ppg)
Anthony Robinson (F/C, 6’10”, 4 ppg)
Players to watch
All Wright
Wright could make his way into Xavier’s starting lineup at some point. The Valparaiso transfer provided a big spark off the bench for Xavier’s struggling offense against Marist, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a 4-of-5 performance from 3-point range.
Xavier guard All Wright (3) hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points off the bench in the win over Marist.
Tre Carroll
Carroll was Xavier’s best player in the preseason and should shoot it better than his 4-of-14 performance in the opener.
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Carroll went 0-for-5 from downtown and had a team-high five turnovers. He’ll continue to play a big role moving forward and he’ll look to bounce back.
Filip Borovicanin
Borovicanin struggled mightily in his Xavier debut. He got the start but played just 12 scoreless minutes. He finished 0-for-5 from the field with one assist, one rebound and a turnover.
Tre Carroll (12) had 11 points in Xavier’s win over Marist.
Keys to a Xavier victory over Le Moyne
Bring the first-half defense from season-opener to Le Moyne matchup
Xavier is trying to build chemistry on both sides of the ball, but the Musketeers’ defense looked like it had been playing together for years in the first half against Marist.
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Xavier forced 11 turnovers, gave up just 19 points and held Marist without a field goal for over eight minutes to build a 10-point halftime lead.
The second half was a different story as Marist mounted a comeback by shooting 60.9% from the field. That performance was equal parts caused by Xavier’s turnovers leading to mismatches and Xavier’s defense struggling to disrupt like it did in the beginning of the game.
Pitino said the blueprint is there for Xavier to be a strong defensive team. They just need to do it for a full 40 minutes. For all of Le Moyne’s horrendous metrics last season, the Dolphins were middle of the pack offensively in effective field goal percentage and top 100 from inside the arc.
Guard Malik Messina-Moore (1) led Xavier with 16 points against Marist.
Leave little doubt against big underdog
Le Moyne will likely be the worst team on Xavier’s schedule by season’s end.
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Last year, the Dolphins were KenPom’s 11th-worst team in all of college basketball (No. 354). Le Moyne went 5-10 in non-conference play, and its 10 losses were by an average of 20.4 points.
Xavier’s offense should thrive against a defense that was No. 361 last season. A cruise-control win could be a confidence-builder for a young team that would also decrease Pitino’s stress levels.
“I want some blowouts. I was gonna puke out there,” Pitino said after Xavier survived a scare from Marist.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier Musketeers vs. Le Moyne Dolphins basketball preview
