Hampton vs. Xavier Pick
Is No. 15 Xavier going to be able to cover a big spread when it takes on Hampton tonight at 8:30PM ET in the Las Vegas Invitational.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Xavier is the heavy favorite at home, as the Musketeers are getting odds of -30 points against Hampton. The over/under total for the game is listed at 152 points. Tonight’s game takes place from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will air live on FS1.
Xavier is off to a 3-0 start to the season, including an 80-70 win at Wisconsin last week. The Musketeers have covered the spread in all three games as well, including two with a spread of 24 points or greater. Xavier is putting up 94 points per contest thus far while allowing 64.7 per game. Trevon Bluiett is leading the team with 25.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest while J.P. Macura is adding 17.3 points, 5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per contest.
Hampton is off to just a 1-3 start following a 65-57 loss at George Washington. The Pirates have yet to play in a lined game this season. Hampton is averaging 69.3 points per game this season while allowing 79.3 per contest. Jermaine Marrow is leading the team with 22 points and 5.5 assists per game while Greg Heckstall is averaging 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.
These two have no recent meetings to consider, but I come into this game really feeling good about how Xavier is playing. The Musketeers are 10-1 against the spread in their last 11 overall and 35-17 ATS in their last 52 non-conference games. Hampton hasn’t had a lined game, but they are still losing by comfortable margins to average teams. I think Xavier is above average and I expect the Musketeers to roll behind one of the top players in the country in Bluiett. The public betting is not available for this game right now, but I think the public will side with Xavier as well.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: XAVIER -30