Get ready for November 20th, because a rematch is officially on the calendar, and it’s going to be wild. Iowa is set to visit Xavier for the second leg of their home-and-home series, and let me tell you, this isn’t the same Musketeers squad the Hawkeyes saw last season. This isn’t just another nonconference game; it’s a major test coming up quick, and Xavier has totally retooled.
The Rematch: Same Opponent, Totally Different Vibe
Last season, Iowa hosted Xavier at Carver-Haweye Arena and walked away with a pretty comfortable 81-62 victory. Bennett Stirtz absolutely went off, dropping 21 points to lead the Hawkeyes. Kael Combs added 11 points, Cam Manyawu chipped in nine, and Tate Sage had eight in that win. That was against a Xavier team that finished Richard Pitino’s first year with a rough 15-18 overall record, including a brutal 6-14 mark in the Big East. That conference record tied them with Georgetown for the absolute worst in the Big East. You can bet they’re not stoked about that, and they’ve clearly been working overtime to flip the script.
Xavier Just Loaded Up With Talent, Big Time
The biggest story here, hands down, is the talent infusion at Xavier. They’re not just bringing back some key guys; they’ve added *seven* transfers to their 2026-27 roster! This isn’t just patching holes; this is a full-blown rebuild, and it’s making this November 20th game at the Cintas Center a whole new beast.
Let’s talk about who’s coming back and who’s new. Junior forward Jovan Milićević returns after being second on the team in scoring last year with 12.4 points per game, hitting double figures an impressive 22 times. Plus, redshirt sophomore Gabriel Pozzato, who sat out last season due to injury, is back after making the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team in his one season at Evansville, averaging 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. Those are solid pieces to build around.
But the transfers? Oh man. We’re talking guard Chance Westry, who averaged 15.5 points per game at UAB and earned American Conference Second Team honors. Mike Nwoko is coming over from LSU, where he put up 13.4 points per game. Then there’s Tru Washington, a guard from Miami (Fla.) who averaged 11.9 points. And don’t sleep on senior Rubén Dominguez from Texas A&M, who drained 40% of his 3-pointers last season, ranking fifth in the SEC. That kind of shooting can change a game in a hurry.
Iowa’s got some big nonconference matchups this season, with Virginia Tech, Iowa State, Creighton, Alabama, and South Dakota all on the schedule. But this Xavier game is gonna hit different. With all that new talent, this isn’t just a road game; it’s a serious test of what Iowa is made of early in the season. You gotta wonder if those transfers are going to gel fast enough to make some noise. November 20th can’t come soon enough!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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