# 2023–24 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by Sean Miller in the second season of his second stint after coaching the Musketeers from 2004 to 2009, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

## Previous season

The Musketeers finished the 2022–23 season 23–8, 15–5 in Big East play, to finish in second place. In the Big East tournament, they defeated DePaul and Creighton to reach the championship game, where they were defeated by Marquette. The team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Kennesaw State and Pittsburgh to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017. There they were defeated by Texas, bringing their season to a close with a final record of 27–10.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Souley Boum | 0 | G | 6'3" | 175 | GS Senior | Oakland, CA | Graduated |
| Colby Jones | 3 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Junior | Birmingham, AL | Declare for 2023 NBA draft; selected 34th overall by Charlotte Hornets |
| Cesare Edwards | 4 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Hartsville, SC | Transferred to Missouri State |
| Adam Kunkel | 5 | G | 6'4" | 185 | GS Senior | Hebron, KY | Graduated |
| KyKy Tandy | 15 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Hopkinsville, KY | Graduate transferred to Jacksonville State |
| Dieonte Miles | 22 | F | 7'0" | 240 | RS Junior | Walton, KY | Transferred to Morehead State |
| Jack Nunge | 24 | F | 7'0" | 245 | RS Senior | Newburgh, IN | Graduated |
| Elijah Tucker | 34 | F | 6'7" | 214 | Sophomore | Canton, GA | Transferred to Longwood |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Quincy Olivari | 8 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Rice |
| Dayvion McKnight | 20 | G | 6'1" | 195 | Senior | Shelbyville, KY | Western Kentucky |
| Abou Ousmane | 24 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | North Texas |
| Logan Duncomb | 51 | C | 6'10" | 241 | Junior | Cincinnati, OH | Indiana |
Note: After transferring to Xavier, Duncomb decided to step away from basketball for health reasons. He will remain enrolled at Xavier and complete his degree.

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Trey Green #18 PG | Charlotte, NC | Link Academy | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Aug 6, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Dailyn Swain #14 SF | Columbus, OH | Columbus Africentric High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 2, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Reid Ducharme #26 SF | Milton, MA | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 25, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Kachi Nzeh #69 C | Newtown, PA | George School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Sep 8, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Xavier 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "2023 Xavier Musketeers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "Xavier 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jonathan Powell #19 SG | Centerville, OH | Centerville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 31, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Xavier 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "2024 Xavier Musketeers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. "Xavier 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Robert Morris | W 77–63 | 1–0 | 25 – Claude | 12 – Nemeikša | 5 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 10, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS2 | | Jacksonville | W 79–56 | 2–0 | 17 – Olivari | 8 – Ousmane | 4 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,426) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 13, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 2 Purdue Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 71–83 | 2–1 | 15 – Claude | 7 – Nemeikša | 6 – Claude | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| November 18, 2023* 12:00 a.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Washington Continental Tire Main Event semifinals | L 71–74 | 2–2 | 20 – Nemeikša | 9 – Olivari | 4 – Green | T-Mobile Arena (–) Paradise, NV |
| November 19, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Saint Mary's Continental Tire Main Event consolation | W 66–49 | 3–2 | 14 – McKnight | 6 – Ciani | 7 – Claude | T-Mobile Arena (–) Paradise, NV |
| November 24, 2023* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | Bryant Continental Tire Main Event campus site game | W 100–75 | 4–2 | 22 – Olivari | 8 – McKnight | 8 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 27, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Oakland | L 76–78 | 4–3 | 24 – Claude | 7 – Olivari | 8 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,199) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 1, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 6 Houston Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 60–66 | 4–4 | 17 – Olivari | 8 – Nemeikša | 4 – Olivari | Cintas Center (10,472) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 5, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Delaware | L 80–87 | 4–5 | 34 – Olivari | 8 – Ousmane | 7 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,035) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 9, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Cincinnati Crosstown Shootout | W 84–79 | 5–5 | 27 – Olivari | 11 – Ousmane | 6 – Claude | Cintas Center (10,724) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 16, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | Winthrop | W 75–59 | 6–5 | 22 – Olivari | 9 – Tied | 9 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at St. John's | L 66–81 | 6–6 (0–1) | 21 – Claude | 12 – Claude | 3 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| December 23, 2023 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | Seton Hall | W 74–54 | 7–6 (1–1) | 29 – Olivari | 10 – Ousmane | 10 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 3, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Villanova | L 65–66 | 7–7 (1–2) | 14 – Olivari | 8 – Olivari | 3 – McKnight | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| January 10, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 4 UConn | L 75–80 | 7–8 (1–3) | 24 – Olivari | 11 – Ousmane | 5 – Claude | Cintas Center (10,335) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Providence | W 85–65 | 8–8 (2–3) | 23 – Green | 7 – Nemeiksa | 8 – McKnight | Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,348) Providence, RI |
| January 16, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Butler | W 85–71 | 9–8 (3–3) | 26 – Claude | 11 – Ousmane | 5 – Olivari | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 19, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Georgetown | W 92–91 | 10–8 (4–3) | 27 – Olivari | 7 – Ousmane | 9 – Claude | Cintas Center (10,432) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 23, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 17 Creighton | L 78–85 | 10–9 (4–4) | 20 – Tied | 7 – Olivari | 3 – Olivari | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,195) Omaha, NE |
| January 28, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 1 UConn | L 56–99 | 10–10 (4–5) | 18 – McKnight | 6 – Ousmane | 4 – McKnight | XL Center (15,684) Hartford, CT |
| January 31, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | St. John's | W 88–77 | 11–10 (5–5) | 23 – Tied | 8 – Ousmane | 6 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,360) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 3, 2024 9:30 p.m., FS1 | | at DePaul | W 93–68 | 12–10 (6–5) | 43 – Olivari | 10 – Olivari | 7 – McKnight | Wintrust Arena (3,649) Chicago, IL |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Villanova | W 56–53 | 13–10 (7–5) | 14 – Olivari | 9 – Ousmane | 7 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,285) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 10, 2024 12:30 p.m., FOX | | No. 19 Creighton | L 71–78 | 13–11 (7–6) | 22 – Claude | 8 – McKnight | 5 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,555) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Seton Hall | L 70–88 | 13–12 (7–7) | 25 – Olivari | 6 – Olivari | 5 – Ciani | Prudential Center (8,361) Newark, NJ |
| February 21, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Providence | L 75–79 | 13–13 (7–8) | 22 – Claude | 13 – Ousmane | 6 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 25, 2024 5:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 7 Marquette | L 64–88 | 13–14 (7–9) | 16 – Green | 8 – Ousmane | 6 – McKnight | Fiserv Forum (17,540) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS2 | | DePaul | W 91–58 | 14–14 (8–9) | 32 – Olivari | 6 – Swain | 8 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,136) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 2, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 98–93 | 15–14 (9–9) | 36 – Claude | 6 – Nzeh | 4 – Claude | Capital One Arena (7,016) Washington, D.C. |
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Butler | L 66–72 | 15–15 (9–10) | 17 – Claude | 10 – Ousmane | 2 – Nzeh | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,976) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 9, 2024 5:00 p.m., FOX | | No. 8 Marquette | L 80–86 | 15–16 (9–11) | 32 – Olivari | 6 – Tied | 8 – McKnight | Cintas Center (10,380) Cincinnati, OH |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 4:00 p.m., FS1 | (9) | vs. (8) Butler First Round | W 76–72 | 16–16 | 26 – Claude | 9 – Olivari | 6 – Olivari | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| March 14, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | (9) | vs. (1) No. 2 UConn Quarterfinal | L 60–87 | 16–17 | 17 – Olivari | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at (4) Georgia First Round - Wake Forest Bracket | L 76–78 | 16–18 | 30 – Claude | 10 – Ousmane | 5 – Claude | Stegeman Coliseum (2,756) Athens, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |