Xavier Musketeers vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 12/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1) are hosting the Xavier Musketeers (8-2) at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday.

The Xavier Musketeers faced Morgan State and walked away with a win by a score of 119-58 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Musketeers finished with 16 and Morgan State totaled 19 fouls. They also buried 2 out of their 10 attempts from 3-point land. Morgan State ended up shooting 54.5% at the free throw line by making 12 of 22 shots. In addition, Morgan State collected 21 rebounds (4 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't have a block. Morgan State totaled 12 dimes and had 3 steals in the game. In relation to defense, Xavier allowed the other team to shoot 36.1% from the floor on 22 out of 61 shooting. They also distributed 25 assists in the game in addition to creating 10 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 52 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Musketeers made 25 of 34 shots for a rate of 73.5%. Xavier ended the game having earned a 60.3% field goal percentage (41 of 68) and made 12 of 18 shots from 3-point land.

Zach Freemantle is someone who was a factor in this contest. He ended up finishing with 27 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He played for 22 mins played and also totaled 10 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 72.7% from the field and distributed 4 assists.

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Xavier enters this one with a mark of 8-2 for the campaign. They are averaging 81.1 pts per game (77th in the country) while shooting 47.6% from the floor. The Musketeers are hitting 40.1% on 3-point shots (91 of 227) and 77.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Xavier is pulling down 37.2 boards per contest and has accumulated 189 assists this year, which ranks 9th in college hoops in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.4 times per contest and as a squad are committing 15.9 fouls per game.

On defense, the Musketeers are forcing 12.8 turnovers per game while drawing 18.8 personal fouls. They are surrendering 36.5% on three-point shots and they rank 80th in the country in points per game from their opponents (66.7). The Musketeers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.0% (239 of 569) and they surrender 30.8 rebounds per game as a group. They are 223rd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 132 surrendered so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Cincinnati Bearcats walked away with a victory by a final of 84-67 when they played Howard. The Bearcats earned 23 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in this contest. They also turned it over 13 times, while recording 9 steals in the game. Howard had 17 fouls for the game which took the Bearcats to the charity stripe for a total of 13 tries. They were able to make 8 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 61.5%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Cincinnati converted 8 out of 23 attempts (34.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bearcats went 34 out of 64 from the floor which had them shooting 53.1%. The Bearcats permitted Howard to bury 26 out of 54 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 48.1% for the matchup. They finished 33.3% from downtown by going 6 out of 18 and ended up shooting 9 of 9 from the free throw line (100.0%). Concerning rebounding, Cincinnati permitted Howard to grab 22 in total (5 offensive).

Simas Lukosius was important for the Bearcats for the contest. He made 7 of 10 for this game for a field goal rate of 70.0%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He accumulated 18 points in his 29 mins on the court and had 4 dimes for this game.

Cincinnati has a record of 7-1 for the season. The Bearcats have committed 12.4 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 59.4% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 17.9 times per game (23rd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 9.5 times per contest. Cincinnati has totaled 656 pts so far this season (82.0 per contest) and they average 38.6 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Bearcats are shooting 51.7% from the field, which has them ranked 4th in college basketball.

The Bearcats are ranked 9th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 58.9. They are forcing their opponents into 12.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 37.6% from the field (14th in the nation). The Cincinnati defense gives up 28.1% on shots from distance (43 of 153) and their opponents are knocking down 69.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 10.3 assists and 30.3 rebounds per game, which is ranked 37th and 21st in those categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Xavier

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