Breaking down the Xavier basketball roster ahead of the 2026-27 season

In today's college basketball landscape, every offseason is going to bring change.

When Xavier's disappointing 2025-26 season came to an end at 15-18 overall, the Musketeers quickly got to work. Xavier used an increased basketball budget to grab several impact players via the NCAA's transfer portal, welcomed in a small recruiting class and retained a few key pieces from last season.

The offseason brought high expectations heading into Year 2 of the Richard Pitino era, which officially tips off on Monday, Nov. 2 against Mount St. Mary's.

Here's a numeral look at the roster that hopes to send Xavier back to the NCAA Tournament.

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No. 0: Gabriel Pozzato, forward

Pozzato is one of the most intriguing pieces to the Xavier puzzle. Last season, he was slated to be one of the top players on the squad before a season-ending knee injury. He missed a good chunk of the offseason, too, but is back to full health.

The Rome, Italy native was a high-volume scorer at Evansville and can score at all three levels. He should be one of Xavier's first options off the bench as someone who has a lot of upside and length.

No. 1: Mike Nwoko, forward

Xavier wasted no time in the transfer portal addressing last season's weaknesses in the frontcourt. Nwoko is one of three high-major additions for Xavier after playing in 66 SEC games (61 starts) over the last two seasons at Mississippi State and LSU.

Xavier needed to beef up its interior for the 20-game Big East grind, and they did that in Nwoko, who had 35 points and 23 rebounds across three exhibition games but needs to be able to avoid foul trouble.

No. 2: Kalek House, guard

House is part of Xavier's 2026 recruiting class and has ties to Pitino. The son of NBA Champion Eddie House, Kalek is also the younger brother of Jaelen House, who made 94 starts for Pitino's New Mexico Lobos from 2021-2024.

A four-star guard, House has the opportunity to make an impact as the backup point guard, though he's trying to work his way back from an injury suffered against Dayton.

No. 3: Tru Washington, guard

A former Pitino recruit when he committed to New Mexico, Washington returned to his former coach in April. Washington spent two successful seasons at New Mexico before transferring to Miami, where he averaged a career-high 11.9 points per game and helped the Hurricanes reach the NCAA Tournament.

Washington elevates a Xavier defense that allowed over 80 points per game last season. He had a top 60 steal percentage in the country and ranked fourth in the ACC in steals. He also worked the last exhibition two games as the team's starting point guard, recording 12 assists against Tennessee.

No. 4: Filip Borovicanin, forward

For now, Borovicanin remains eligible after a prolonged battle in the courts. If he's available to play, Borovicanin should start for Xavier at small forward. In two exhibition games, he combined for 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists with zero turnovers.

No. 6: Harrison Aligbe, forward

The 6-foot-8 freshman signed with Xavier along with his older brother, Rolyns. He's from St. Andrews Prep in Barrington, Rhode Island, the same high school where Pitino served as an assistant coach while attending Providence.

No. 7: Asher Elson, forward

A four-star forward out of Overtime Elite, Elson committed to Xavier in November 2025. Elson, 6-foot-10, will look to make an impact through his rim-protecting ability.

He suffered a slight foot fracture this offseason and Xavier hopes he'll be available by the regular season opener.

No. 8: Rolyns Aligbe, forward

The elder Aligbe should be a pivotal depth piece for Xavier's frontcourt this season with his rebounding ability.

Last season at Southern Illinois, he ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding while averaging 9.5 points per game. Aligbe played in the final two exhibition contests, combining for 7 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.

No. 9: Ruben Dominguez, guard

Xavier might not repeat its record-setting season from 3-point range, but Dominguez will be a staple from beyond the arc. In 34 games at Texas A&M last season, he averaged 10.2 points per game while shooting 40% from 3-point range (5th in the SEC). Nearly 85% of his field goal attempts were from deep.

In three exhibition games, Dominguez made 12 of Xavier's 26 triples.

No. 11: Chance Westry, guard

Westy battled injuries throughout his career, but he arrives at Xavier with two years of eligibility remaining.

Westry appeared in just 14 games over three years between Auburn and Syracuse before breaking out last season at UAB, where he was second-team all-conference. He averaged 15.5 points per game and led the AAC in assists while shooting 48.7% from the field.

Westry struggled this preseason after starting at point guard against Dayton. In three exhibition games, he combined for 13 points, 6 assists and 9 turnovers.

No. 12: Braden Appelhans, guard

Another player reuniting with Pitino, Appelhans appeared in 57 games over three seasons with New Mexico from 2022-2025. He transferred to Drake, where he averaged 5.3 points off the bench. The 6-foot-6 guard adds to Xavier's backcourt depth.

No. 15: Kason Westphal, center

Westphal redshirted last season after playing for Fear of God Athletics in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2025.

No. 16: Nikos Chitikoudis, forward

Another depth piece down low, Chitikoudis brings plenty of experience after two seasons at North Carolina A&T and one at Robert Morris. With the Colonels in 2026, he averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.7% from the field. He was named to the 2026 Horizon League All-Defensive Team.

Chitikoudis was Xavier's leading scorer (17 points) against Tennessee.

No. 17: Gedeon Basson, guard

An athletic combo guard, Basson signed with Xavier in April out of Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida.

No. 20: Henry Thole, forward

A third-year walk-on. Thole is the all-time leading scorer at Villa Madonna.

No. 24: Jovan Milicevic, forward

Keeping Milicevic at Xavier was a big offseason win for Xavier. He was a bright spot offensively in a down season, averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting over 40% from 3-point range.

With the addition of fellow team captain Nwoko, Milicevic moves to his natural No. 4 spot in Xavier's lineup and is primed for a big year. He already looks much improved through three exhibition games, combining for 46 points (17 of 32 shooting) and 17 rebounds.

No. 25: Michael Wolf, guard

Wolf earned a scholarship at the end of last season after three-plus years as a walk-on. He's appeared in eight career games.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Breaking down the Xavier basketball roster ahead of the 2026-27 season