The No. 9 Xavier Musketeers (10-1) will attempt to lengthen their five-game winning streak against the Marshall Thundering Herd (8-3) at Cintas Center. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 178 points with Xavier opening as a 22.5-point favorite.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Xavier Musketeers ATS Prediction
The last time the Thundering Herd played, they topped the Ohio Bobcats, 99-96. Marshall was effective at getting and making free throws. The Thundering Herd made 27 of their 31 free throws (87.1 percent), while the Bobcats were 14-18 (77.8 percent). Marshall was led by Ajdin Penava, who was the top scorer from either team with 33 points on 10-for-13 shooting.
The Musketeers barely escaped the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in their last contest, 68-66. Xavier’s 0.152 free throw rate was their largest advantage over East Tennessee State, who had a mark of 0.075. The Musketeers’ mark matched their season average, while the Buccaneers’ was below their season average of 0.270. Trevon Bluiett led Xavier in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting.
Xavier could dominate on the offensive side of the ball as their sharp-shooting offense squares off against one of the worst defenses in the nation. The Musketeers currently rank fourth in effective field goal percentage (0.597), while Marshall ranks 254th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.520).
Marshall is 8-3 straight up (SU), but they are just 3-5 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total low when the Thundering Herd are involved, as 62.5 percent of their games have gone over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Xavier is 10-1 SU and 9-2 ATS. Musketeers games also tend to go over the projected point total (70.0 percent).
Jon Elmore has averaged 24.6 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals over the last five games for Marshall.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Xavier Musketeers Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Marshall, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Xavier ranks 16th in rebounds allowed per game (30.5) while Marshall ranks 241st (40.5).
The Musketeers average 18.0 assists per game, which ranks 15th in the nation. The Thundering Herd rank 189th in assists allowed per game (15.7).
Marshall ranks 36th in three pointers attempted per game (26.7) while Xavier ranks 202nd in three pointers allowed per game (24.0).
The Thundering Herd average 6.1 blocks per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. The Musketeers rank 153rd in blocks allowed per game (4.5).
Marshall ranks 70th in steals per game (7.2) while Xavier ranks 108th in steals allowed per game (6.5).
Bettings Trends:
The Thundering Herd’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 5.0, down from 6.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Musketeers have scored an average of 85.0 points per game (3.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 68.8 points per game (0.7 below their season average).
