The Big East’s top team will be on the road when the No. 8 Xavier Musketeers (23-3) head to the Verizon Center to challenge the Georgetown Hoyas (14-13). The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on FOX.
The Hoyas were beaten by Seton Hall 72-64 on Wednesday. Jessie Govan finished with 27 points to lead the game. The Musketeers, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-74 win against Providence on Wednesday. They were carried by Myles Davis who recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. He elevated his game, recording his first triple-double of the season.
The physical Xavier offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. It ranks 28th in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 43.7), while Georgetown gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 344th-ranked FTA rate of 48.9).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hoyas won the first game 81-72. Tre Campbell was a standout player in the game, producing 21 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and five three-pointers.
The Hoyas are looking to build on their records of 14-13 Straight Up (SU) and 13-14 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hoyas are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a stellar .759 from the free throw line. Turning to the defensive side, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Hoyas, who allow a field goal percentage of only .396. The Hoyas are the 47th-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 4.8 blocks per game.
Across the court, the Musketeers have records of 16-10 ATS and 23-3 SU. They sport the 35th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 79.7 points per game. The Musketeers are getting to the foul line at a high rate. Their 492 free throws made ranks 16th in Division I. The Musketeers have controlled the glass with an average of 41.4 rebounds per game, 14th in the country. The Xavier defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 49th in Division I with only 69.5 points allowed per road game. Xavier’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .312 from the three.
The Hoyas’ win over Xavier in their last game wasn’t enough for them to overtake Xavier in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 2-4 SU over the most recent meetings. The Musketeers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 4-2. Georgetown held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Xavier never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Xavier
Notes
“Georgetown is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“Georgetown is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Georgetown’s last 7 games “.
“Georgetown is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home”.
“Georgetown is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Xavier”.
“Georgetown is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Xavier”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Georgetown’s last 5 games when playing Xavier”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Xavier’s last 5 games when playing Georgetown”.
Georgetown scores an average of just 73.3 points per game (ranked 146th). Xavier ranks 84th in points allowed, giving up 68.4 points per game.
Georgetown scores just 73.8 points per home game (ranked 178th). Xavier ranks 49th in points allowed on the road, giving up 69.5 points.
The Xavier Musketeers have a defensive rating of 95.5 (ranked 30th), while the Georgetown Hoyas have an offensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 169th).
With 69.0 possessions and 1.061 points per possession, the Georgetown Hoyas perform worse on both metrics than the Xavier Musketeers. Xavier averages 71.0 possessions and 1.122 points per possession.
Xavier has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.2%. Georgetown has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-6).
The Georgetown Hoyas average 22.0 three point attempts per game and are 11-10 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Xavier Musketeers average 20.0 attempts and have an exceptional record (16-2) when attempting 20 or more.
Xavier ranks 76th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Georgetown is ranked lower at 140th with an A/TO of 1.11.
The Xavier Musketeers average 41.4 rebounds per game and are ranked 14th. The Georgetown Hoyas average 35.6 rebounds per game, ranked 217th.
The Xavier Musketeers rank 39th in offensive rebounds. The Georgetown Hoyas rank 117th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Georgetown forces a turnover rate of 17.1%. When Xavier turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 15-1 record.
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