Thursday, March 23, 2017

SAP Center at San Jose

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The 11 seed Xavier Musketeers head to SAP Center at San Jose to take on the 2 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday, March 23, 2017 in the Sweet 16. The opening line for this game has Arizona as 8 point favorites.

The Musketeers finished the regular season with an overall record of 19-12. They are 17-18 against the spread and their over/under record is 15-15. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a record of 27-4. They have an over/under record of 13-17 and they are 19-14 against the spread.

Trevon Bluiett comes into this contest averaging 18.5 points per game while playing 34.9 minutes per night so far this season for the Musketeers. He pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.1 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 44% while his free throw percentage is currently at 75%. J.P. Macura averages 14.3 points per game in 33.3 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.9 assists per contest and 4.3 rebounds per game for Xavier. His field goal percentage is 42% for the year while his free throw percentage is 79%.

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Rawle Alkins averages 11.1 points per game while playing 27.9 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 5 rebounds per game and has 2.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 73%. Lauri Markkanen averages 15.8 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 30.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.2 rebounds per contest and 0.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 50% and his free throw percentage is 83%.

Xavier averages 75.1 points per contest this season which ranks them 125th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 4.1 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them ranked 101st. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 180th in the country. They average 37.5 rebounds per game and 15.0 assists per game which ranks them 86th and 79th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 213th with 12.8 per game. The Musketeers allow 71.0 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 140th in the nation. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 234th and 89th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 30.9 rebounds a game which ranks 15th and they give up 13.9 assists per contest which puts them in 240th place in the country. They force 12.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 91st in Division 1.

Arizona averages 76.7 points per game this year which ranks them 99th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 11.0 and their shooting percentage is 48% as a team which has them sitting in the 34th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 40% which is good for 20th in the nation. They average 36.8 rebounds per game and 13.5 assists per contest which ranks them 118th and 171st respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 316th with 11.3 per game. The Wildcats allow 65.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 39th in the country. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 31% average from behind the arc ranking them 72nd and 16th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 30.0 rebounds a game which ranks 7th and they give up 12.9 assists per contest which puts them in 145th place in the nation. The Wildcats force 11.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 69th in college basketball.

The Musketeers are 70th in the nation in offensive rating at 109.4. They assist on 57.9% of their shots, which ranks 53rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 68.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 247th among D-1 teams. They are 111th in effective field goal percentage with 52%. As a team they are 105th in the country in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3 pointers on 37% of their shots. Xavier turns the ball over an average of 15.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 54.8% places them 16th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 34.6%.

The Wildcats are 18th in the nation in offensive rating at 113.8. They assist on 51.3% of their shots, which ranks 199th in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 279th among D-1 teams. They are 52nd in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 31st in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. Arizona turns the ball over an average of 14.6 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.1% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 55.1% places them 10th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 32.8%.

Xavier Musketeers Betting Trends

The Xavier Musketeers are 17-18 against the spread

The Xavier Musketeers are 15-15 against the over/under

Arizona Wildcats Betting Trends

The Arizona Wildcats are 19-14 against the spread

The Arizona Wildcats are 13-17 against the over/under

Xavier Musketeers Injuries

01/30/17 G Edmond Sumner Knee out for season
01/22/17 G Myles Davis Personal has left the team

Arizona Wildcats Injuries

11/17/16 G Dylan Smith Concussion out indefinitely
11/11/16 F Talbott Denny Knee out for season
11/08/16 F Ray Smith Knee out for season
03/19/17 G Rawle Alkins Finger injured last game, probable Thursday vs. Xavier

Josh's Pick: Take Xavier -8

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