Xavier vs. Arizona Prediction
Is Arizona laying too many points to Xavier in tonight’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16 matchup at 10:09PM ET?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Wildcats opened as 7.5-point favorites versus the Musketeers and that’s where the spread currently sits. The total, meanwhile, has been bet up to 145 and opening at 143.5.
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Xavier sprung upsets in the first two rounds of the tournament, beating Maryland 76-65 as a 2-point underdog, and then upsetting Florida State 91-66 as a 7-point dog in a rout. The Musketeers have now covered the point spread in six consecutive games entering play tonight.
Arizona cruised to a 100-82 win over North Dakota in its opening-round matchup and then soundly defeated St. Mary’s 69-60 in round two. The Wildcats pushed as an 18-point favorite versus UND, but covered as a 4.5-point favorite against the Gaels in the second round.
Bet Tonight’s College Hoops Action
OUR PREDICTION: Xavier has covered the spread in all four of its last four games as an underdog, is 23-5-1 against the spread in its last 29 NCAA tournament games, and is 17-4 at the betting window in its last 21 neutral site games. The Musketeers are also 29-10-1 against the spread in their last 40 neutral site games as an underdog and have covered in 17 of their last 24 non-conference games. Xavier is a covering machine right now, so there’s plenty of value in taking the Musketeers with the points.
MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: XAVIER MUSKETEERS +7.5