Saturday, March 25, 2017

SAP Center

Get todays College basketball odds and lines on this game.

The 11 seed Xavier Musketeers travel to SAP Center to play the 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday, March 25, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Gonzaga as 9 point favorites.

The Musketeers finished the regular season with an overall record of 19-12. They are 18-18 against the spread and their over/under record is 15-15. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a record of 29-1. They have an over/under record of 14-13 and they are 22-9 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Valuable Xavier Musketeers Betting Trends

The Xavier Musketeers are 18-18 against the spread

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

Important Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Trends

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 22-9 against the spread

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 14-13 against the over/under

Key Xavier Musketeers Injuries

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

Key Gonzaga Bulldogs Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Trevon Bluiett comes into this contest averaging 18.7 points per game while playing 35 minutes per night so far this season for the Musketeers. He pulls down 5.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.1 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 45% while his free throw percentage is currently at 76%. J.P. Macura averages 14.3 points per game in 33.4 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.9 assists per contest and 4.4 rebounds per game for Xavier. His field goal percentage is 42% for the year while his free throw percentage is 79%.

Player Spotlight

Nigel Williams-Goss averages 16.5 points per game while playing 32.5 minutes per contest this year for the Bulldogs. He grabs 5.9 rebounds per game and has 4.7 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 50% and his free throw percentage currently is at 90%. Przemek Karnowski averages 12.4 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 23.0 minutes per contest. He also averages 5.9 rebounds per contest and 1.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 60% and his free throw percentage is 59%.

Useful Team Statistics

Xavier averages 75.1 points per contest this season which ranks them 127th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 4.0 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them ranked 91st. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 179th in the country. They average 37.2 rebounds per game and 14.9 assists per game which ranks them 99th and 81st in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 219th with 12.6 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 69th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 31.0 rebounds a game which ranks 15th and they give up 13.9 assists per contest which puts them in 239th place in the country. They force 12.0 turnovers per game which ranks them 85th in Division 1.

Useful Team Statistics

Gonzaga averages 83.3 points per game this year which ranks them 15th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 22.3 and their shooting percentage is 51% as a team which has them sitting in the 2nd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 69th in the nation. They average 40.4 rebounds per game and 15.4 assists per contest which ranks them 7th and 61st respectively. In the turnover department the Bulldogs rank 308th with 11.4 per game. The Bulldogs allow 61.0 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 5th in the country. They also allow a 37% shooting percentage and a 30% average from behind the arc ranking them 2nd and 6th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 33.0 rebounds a game which ranks 64th and they give up 9.6 assists per contest which puts them in 4th place in the nation. The Bulldogs force 12.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 133rd in college basketball.

Advanced Statistics

The Musketeers are 65th in the nation in offensive rating at 109.6. They assist on 57.7% of their shots, which ranks 57th in the country. In terms of pace they average 68.2 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 253rd among D-1 teams. They are 107th in effective field goal percentage with 52%. As a team they are 102nd in the country in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3 pointers on 36% of their shots. Xavier turns the ball over an average of 15.8 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.8% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 54.5% places them 20th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 34.3%.

Advanced Statistics

The Bulldogs are 5th in the nation in offensive rating at 117.4. They assist on 51.7% of their shots, which ranks 190th in the country. In terms of pace they average 70.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 111th among D-1 teams. They are 7th in effective field goal percentage with 57%. As a team they are 7th in the country in true shooting percentage with 60% and they shoot 3 pointers on 33% of their shots. Gonzaga turns the ball over an average of 14.2 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 55% places them 12th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 29.9%.

Who will win tonight's Xavier/Gonzaga college basketball game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Gonzaga -9

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