Sport: College HoopsPick Selection: Xavier Musketeers +1 -110
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Xavier Musketeers 7:10 PM ET
Xavier Musketeers +1 -110
**SWEET 16 TOP PLAY** 82.9% NCAA Dominator I was able to catch a lot Xavier in its first two games of this tournament and this is a team that can make a huge run and challenge UCLA if that is the East Regional Final matchup. The Musketeers are big, athletic, experienced, quick and efficient. They can shoot, play defense and make free throws. The list can go on but there is no need to. I thought Xavier was at least the 2nd best team in this region and with Duke falling, this is holding true. After seeing them over the weekend they might be even better.
West Virginia has put a great run together as it looks to be peaking at the right time. First it was wins over Providence and Connecticut in the Big East Tournament and then Arizona and Duke in the first two rounds of this tournament. The latter two were against two underachievers so while they look good on paper because of the ?names?, they were not overly impressive. They seemed to be impressive enough however for the Mountaineers to be the favorite despite a seven seed going against a three seed.
One advantage for West Virginia is that it faced two teams that plays man-to-man defense but the defenses of Arizona and Duke do not compare. Both of those teams allowed the opposition to shoot more than 43.5 percent as they ranked 161st and 152nd respectively. Xavier meanwhile allows 40.6 percent which is 38th in the nation. Purdue shot 38.8 percent in the last game and the Musketeers have allowed 37.5 percent shooting over the last three halves following Georgia?s 53.3 percent first half.
While the defense is going to be a big advantage, the Musketeers' offensive balance was solid against Purdue, which has been nothing new for this team for most of the season. They are extraordinarily difficult to guard and having Drew Lavender, arguably one of the best point guards right now, does not hurt matters. The Musketeers shot 54 percent for the game against the Boilermakers including 41.7 percent from long range and a sensational 78.8 percent from the line on 26-33 shooting. That is tough to beat.
Xavier has a great history going into this game as well. It is solid against the good teams, going 11-2 ATS against teams that are shooting 45 percent or better and with a defense allowing 42 or better over the last two seasons as well as 8-2 ATS against teams that are outscoring their opponents by eight or more ppg this season. Taking care of the ball has been a recent trait and the Musketeers are 10-2 ATS after four straight games committing 14 or less turnovers over the last two seasons. Play Xavier Musketeers 2.5 Units
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