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Xavier Basketball Paid Good Money For New Coach To Be Blown Out At Home By Mid-Major Team

#Xavier Musketeers
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The Richard Pitino era with Xavier basketball has not gotten off to the hottest of starts. The team has struggled in three games against mid-major competition with the latest ending in blowout fashion.

Santa Clara annihilated the Musketeers in Cincinnati on Monday. The Broncos cashed a nice paycheck in the process.

Xavier is in a state of major transition following the departure of former head coach Sean Miller. Roster turnover is a major concern.

The Musketeers did not return a single scholarship player from the previous year. Pitino was forced to scramble to assemble his roster through the transfer portal.

Those new additions have not become a cohesive unit at this point in time. The team is struggling to beat lesser foes.

Xavier basketball lost a buy game.

The Musketeers paid Santa Clara to play the game in Cincinnati. That fact only added insult to injury given the 87-68 outcome.

The Broncos controlled the contest from start to finish. It was a wire-to-wire win. Santa Clara never trailed.

They led by 19 at halftime before exploding for 48 more points after the break. Xavier was simply overwhelmed.

It’s worth noting that Santa Clara is no slouch. They’ve won 20 games or more in five of the last six seasons. Just last year, they knocked off the likes of TCU, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Washington State, and Saint Louis.

That doesn’t change the fact that it was a game Xavier scheduled to win. The blowout only magnified the team’s early season struggles.

Richard Pitino is looking for answers.

The head coach apologized to the fanbase after the most recent loss, which was Xavier basketball’s first setback of the year. Unfortunately, it hasn’t looked all that impressive in its two wins, either.

The Musketeers struggled to beat Marist in the opener, trailing inside the final two minutes of action. Game 2 was a five-point win over Le Moyne.

Xavier hired Richard Pitino in the offseason after an unexpected coaching departure. It now finds itself in a complete rebuild.

The home loss to Santa Clara could be a sign of a long season to come.