**BIG PLAY ALERT** NCAA 2nd Round Game of the Year - 3/22/2008 4:40:00 PM

Xavier Musketeers -3 -110

**BIG PLAY ALERT** NCAA 2nd Round Game of the Year It was impressive what Xavier did on Thursday. Down 12 early in the second half, the Musketeers rallied against Georgia with strong defense, controlled offense and clutch free throw shooting. This team can make a serious run and on Saturday faces a team that is made up from the same mold but extremely younger. Purdue puts the youngest team in the tournament on the floor as six of the seven leading scorers are either freshmen or sophomores and it has only one senior that gets minutes.

Despite a win over Baylor, Purdue has slowed toward the end of the season. Following an 11-game winning streak, the Boilermakers have gone 4-3 in their last seven games with two of the losses coming against non-tournament teams Ohio St. and Illinois. Granted, those two losses came in overtime but it does show that this team is not ready for the big time. For a team that is 25-8, it is shocking that Purdue is actually getting outshot on the season and now faces one of the most efficient teams both offensively and defensively.

The Musketeers rely heavily on balance and they won on Thursday without that even coming into play. Five players average double-digits and even though they only had three players top 10 points on Thursday, the balance still showed as defenses have to account for everyone. Xavier is 20-0 when four or more players score in double figures and the reason is fairly obvious since the points can come from anywhere on the floor. Xavier pulled away on Thursday without its best game and that only makes it stronger here.

The Musketeers lockdown defense did not show up until the 2nd half against Georgia but when on the floor, it is tough to crack. Unlike Purdue, Xavier is a good rebounding team, gathering in an average of 5.9 rpg more than its opponent. That is a big edge as is the fact that Musketeers take care of the ball. They committed only seven turnovers on Thursday and on the other side, had eight steals. Overall, Xavier has the edge in every statistical category in this matchup which is rare in a tournament game and that spells blowout. Play Xavier Musketeers 5 Units

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