Xavier Musketeers

Xavier basketball has become one of college basketball's model mid-major-turned-major success stories, now a fixture of the Big East after building a national reputation from Cincinnati. The Musketeers play home games at the modern Cintas Center, and the program's consistency has made it one of the winningest in the country over the past two decades. Xavier's culture is built on player development and NBA-caliber coaching, producing a steady stream of tournament appearances. It's a program whose ambitions now match the conference it plays in.

Xavier made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1961 and has become one of the sport's most frequent tournament participants since, appearing 16 times between 2001 and 2018 alone and earning its first-ever No. 1 seed in 2018. The Musketeers have won the NIT twice, most recently in 2022. Xavier has never advanced to the Final Four or won a national championship, but its sustained run of NCAA tournament appearances is among the best of any program without a title. The Musketeers' move to the Big East cemented their status as a major-conference program.