Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 11/16/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-0) are hitting the road to Cintas Center on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Xavier Musketeers (3-0).

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons stepped onto the hardwood against USC Upstate and earned the victory with a final of 85-80 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Demon Deacons ended up with 14 while USC Upstate recorded 24 personal fouls. They converted 11 of 29 attempts from beyond the perimeter. USC Upstate finished the contest at 90.0% at the charity stripe by burying 9 of 10 attempts. In addition, USC Upstate had 31 rebounds (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. USC Upstate totaled 14 assists and had 8 steals for the game. In relation to the defense, Wake Forest allowed the other team to shoot 47.6% from the floor on 30 of 63 shooting. They also recorded 14 dimes in this game as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 10 steals. When talking about grabbing boards, they earned a total of 30 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Demon Deacons converted 22 of their 33 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Wake Forest finished the game having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (28 of 55) and converted 7 out of their 26 3-pointers.

Hunter Sallis is a player who was a major factor in this game. He recorded 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He played 38 minutes and also grabbed 5 rebounds. He ended up shooting 64.3% from the field and dished out 6 assists.

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Wake Forest will enter this matchup with a mark of 4-0 on the year. They average 75.3 points per contest (235th in college basketball) on 45.0% from the floor. The Demon Deacons are connecting on 25.9% on shots from 3-point land (28 of 108) and 69.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Wake Forest is snagging 38.3 rebounds per game and has totaled 54 dimes this season, which is 62nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 13.8 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.0 fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Demon Deacons are forcing their opponents into 16.5 turnovers every game while drawing 21.8 personal fouls. They are surrendering 31.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 116th in D-1 in points per game allowed (65.8). The Demon Deacons defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 37.7% (93 of 247) and they relinquish 35.0 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are 308th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 49 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Xavier Musketeers walked away with a victory by a final of 94-57 when they played Jackson State. The Musketeers corralled 36 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 41 for the matchup. They also coughed it up 10 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. Jackson State had 17 fouls for the contest which took the Musketeers to the free throw line for a total of 15 tries. They were able to knock down 12 of the free throw tries for a clip of 80.0%. When it comes to three-point shots, Xavier made 16 of 31 tries (51.6%). When all was said and done, the Musketeers walked away from this one shooting 33 for 61 from the field which had them shooting 54.1%. The Musketeers allowed Jackson State to make 19 of their 66 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 28.8% in this game. They finished shooting 25.0% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 5 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 14 of 20 from the free throw line (70.0%). In relation to cleaning the glass, Xavier allowed Jackson State to grab 32 in all (10 on the offensive side).

Zach Freemantle was important for the Musketeers for this game. He earned 21 points in his 25 mins on the court and had 3 assists for the matchup. He converted 8 of 11 in this contest for a field goal rate of 72.7%, and accounted for 4 rebounds.

Xavier has a record of 3-0 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Musketeers are hitting on 49.7% from the field, which ranks 80th in the nation. Xavier has earned 266 points on the year (88.7 per game) and they average 37.7 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 22.7 times per contest (8th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.0 times per contest. The Musketeers are responsible for committing 15.3 fouls per contest and they hit 82.1% from the charity stripe.

The Xavier defense gives up 40.8% on shots from beyond the arc (29 of 71) and their opponents are knocking down 77.8% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 13.7 assists and 31.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 236th and 84th in college hoops. The Musketeers on defense are ranked 158th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 68.7. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 38.6% from the floor (105th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Wake Forest

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