Xavier men’s basketball has won three in a row and four of its last five games following a 96-74 victory over Saint Francis at Cintas Center Dec. 1.
Xavier opened up the new month against one of the worst teams in college basketball and pulled away in the second half after St. Francis stuck around over the opening 20 minutes.
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“Certainly, did some good things. Did some bad things, as well. The second half was certainly good,” Xavier head coach Richard Pitino said. “We’re doing some good things and now we certainly have to get back to work tomorrow.”
On a cold shooting night from the perimeter early on, Xavier (6-3) used tough buckets down low and rebounds to pull away from the Red Flash (1-7).
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Xavier guard Roddie Anderson had his most efficient night, pouring in a game-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Tre Carroll has scored in double figures in every game and tied a season-high with 21 on Monday. They were joined in double figures by guard All Wright (15) and Isaiah Walker (10).
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Xavier gets its 2s in win over St. Francis
After hitting double-digit 3-pointers in four consecutive games, there was a lid on the bucket early for Xavier’s top 25 3-point shooting offense. Xavier went just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half but answered Pitino’s prior calls to score in other ways.
Xavier’s first bucket of the game was an offensive putback by Filip Borovicanin. A few minutes later, Carroll’s and-1 gave the Musketeers an 11-4 edge. Xavier had a 26-8 advantage in points in the paint at the intermission.
Xavier entered the night ranked No. 352 in 2-point shooting and Saint Francis was No. 364 in the country in defending shots from inside-the-arc. Xavier frequently attacked the bucket and made a season-high 28 2-point shots and finished with 48 points in the paint.
Xavier Musketeers guard Roddie Anderson III (0) had a game-high 28 points in a 96-74 win over Saint Francis at Cintas Center Dec. 1, 2025.
“We know that the 3-point ball will certainly be a big part to what we do,” Pitino said. “If we’re not putting pressure on them to foul us and pressure by finishing at the rim, we’re gonna have to rely on making 15, 16 threes. We don’t want to do that.”
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The “3” Musketeers show up in the second half
Early struggles from the perimeter didn’t stop Xavier from letting it fly. In the second half, Xavier started 5-of-8 from downtown to push its lead to as many as 27.
Xavier went 7-of-13 from deep in the second half to notch double-digit 3-pointers for the fifth consecutive game, which is one short of a school record. They were 10-of-32 overall.
Anderson went 5-of-9 from deep while Walker and Carroll each hit twice.
“He (Anderson) has worked really, really hard. Two years ago, when I coached against him in the Mountain West, he was kind of known as a non-shooter and he has put in the work,” Pitino said. “When he takes good shots, I really believe it’s gonna go in. I’m proud. He works really, really hard.”
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Xavier extends lead out of the locker room
After a sluggish first half where Saint Francis hung around, Xavier opened the second half with five buckets down low, one by each starter, to stretch its lead to 17.
Leading scorer Jovan Milicevic was 0-for-5 shooting with just one point in the first half. His only bucket of the game with 18:38 remaining made it 50-37.
Richard Pitino’s Xavier Musketeers have won three straight and four of five overall heading into the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
Xavier defense overcomes slow start
Facing a Saint Francis offense that ranks No. 359 in KenPom in efficiency, Pitino called a timeout with 9:05 remaining in the first half after a Ralph Martino Jr. 3-pointer put the Red Flash within four (24-20).
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Xavier’s defense allowed just one field goal over the final 4-plus minutes of the first half and contested at the rim with Saint Francis going just 3-of-10 on layups. Xavier went on a 10-5 run in that stretch, punctuated by Anderson hitting a runner off the glass just before the buzzer to give Xavier a 44-33 lead at the break.
“Guarding the ball and being more mentally tough,” Anderson said of Pitino’s message after St. Francis trimmed into the lead. “With the games we have coming up, we have UC, the Big East, being mentally tough and pushing the ball were keys he (Pitino) really criticized.”
For the game, St. Francis shot 44.3% from the field and was 8-of-22 from 3-point range. The Red Flash did damage last in the game as Xavier emptied the bench and had success against a 1-3-1 zone Pitino tried out midway through the second half.
“I’m never gonna play it ever again,” Pitino laughed. “It was awful.”
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Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout up next
Xavier continues its homestand against UC in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout Dec. 5. Xavier has won five of the last six and nine of the last 12 in the rivalry.
“I didn’t really believe the hype until I saw it last year. It’s one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of, and I wasn’t even playing,” Anderson said of UC’s 68-65 win over Xavier in 2024. “It’s about to be a dogfight and we’re about to go to war on Friday. Just getting their mindsets right because Xavier loves this game, it means so much to them and we’re not trying to let them down.”
The Bearcats have not won at Cintas Center since beating Thad Matta’s Musketeers in 2001.
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“We certainly understand the importance of it for both fanbases, alumni. We know it’s an important game, we just haven’t talked a whole lot about it,” Pitino said. “They’re a talented team, well-coached and we’ll have a huge challenge on our hands.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Analysis of Xavier Musketeers win over Saint Francis Red Flash
