The Xavier Musketeers and the Kennesaw State Owls will meet in the first round of the Midwest Region in Greensboro at the Nationwide Arena on truTV. Xavier won the lone meeting back in November of 2004, 67-60.
Kennesaw State Betting Preview
Kennesaw State enters at 26-8 after defeating Liberty in the Atlantic Sun title game. The Owls snuck away from the Flames late, and picked up a one-point victory, 67-66. Kennesaw is scoring 75.3 points per game, while allowing 69.0 ppg, and shooting 46.2% from the field.
Kennesaw State won eight of their final nine games to punch their ticket to the Dance, and they’ll look to pick upset Xavier here. Junior guard Chris Youngblood finished as the team’s leading scorer at 14.7 ppg after consistent production throughout February. Senior guard Terrell Burden paced the team with 20 points in the semifinal win over Lipscomb, and he’s up to 13.5 ppg and a team-lead 4.2 apg. Senior forward Demond Robinson scored a game-high 24 points in the first round win over Queens, and he’s averaging 11.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg.
Xavier Betting Preview
Xavier comes in at 25-9 after losing to Marquette in the Big East Championship. The Musketeers trailed the Golden Eagles by double figures at the break, then proceeded to lose by fourteen points, 65-51. Xavier is scoring 81.4 points per game, while allowing 75.5 ppg, and shooting 49.4% from the field.
Xavier got bottled up in the conference championship, and they’ll look to avoid disaster here in round one. The Musketeers carry an experienced lineup led by UTEP transfer Souley Boum. The 6’3 guard scored 23 points in the semifinal win over Creighton, and he’s up to team-leads of 16.5 ppg and 4.4 apg. Colby Jones scored 22 points in the quarterfinal win over DePaul, and he’s posting a nice line of 15.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 4.3 apg. Jack Nunge leads Xavier in rebounding (7.8), while scoring 14.1 ppg.
Kennesaw State vs Xavier Trends
Kennesaw State is 20-10-1 against the spread this season, with a 17-12-2 over/under record. Xavier is 18-15-1 ATS this year, with a 21-12-1 o/u record.
Corey's Free Pick
Xavier had the privilege of not playing on day one of the tournament, and after watching Furman and Princeton shake up the field early, they should enter this heavily-favored spot ready to go. The Musketeers get production from all three levels offensively, but I think they win this game on the defensive end. The total sits very high, and if the Musketeers gain a lead in this one, look for them to grind out a safe victory here and limit any chance at a comeback from the Owls. Take the under for the Xavier/Kennesaw matchup..
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
