'Continuing to build it.' Here's what Sean Miller said about Xavier future on podcast

What a struggling Xavier men's basketball team didn't need in its pursuit of an NCAA Tournament berth was an off-the-court distraction.

They got just that in the hours leading up to Wednesday's Big East battle against Seton Hall when Ohio State dismissed head coach Chris Holtmann and Sean Miller was named in a report from Jeff Goodman as a potential candidate for the Buckeyes job.

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Xavier was outplayed from the jump in Newark, losing to Seton Hall, 88-70.

Xavier was off over the weekend, giving more fuel for the rumor mill surrounding the future of Miller, who has taken Xavier to the Sweet 16 (and an Elite 8) in his last three seasons as the Musketeers' head coach (2008, 2009, 2023).

Miller, who received a two-year contract extension in October, spoke about his future in the latest episode of the "Sean Miller Podcast."

"Retention and experience are so important. As we build and you go from year 1 to year 2 and the adversity we've dealt with, I think it's gonna set up a great spring, summer and a great beginning to our future," Miller said. "Continuing to build it. Continuing to grow it like every coach has that's been here for the last 40 years. I'm really looking forward to that."

Of course, we're in the early stages of the coaching carousel. Ohio State will certainly not be the only team looking to move a different direction and Miller is just one of several active head coaches whose name will be tossed around reports in the next month as a candidate for an open job.

For now, the Musketeers turn their collective focus on trying to secure a top-5 spot in the Big East standings and the first-round bye in the conference tournament that comes with it. Xavier is on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament berth, but a strong finish over the final half-dozen regular-season contests would go a long way with several Quadrant 1 and 2 opportunities still on the table.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier head coach Sean Miller discusses his future on latest podcast