The No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (2-0) will be at home when they challenge the Xavier Musketeers (2-0). The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Nov. 20 and can be seen on BTN.
The Wolverines won big over Elon 88-68 on Monday. Derrick Walton Jr. was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting. The Musketeers, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-66 win against Missouri on Tuesday. James Farr had a big game and claimed his first double-double of the season, accumulating 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Michigan, a five-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Xavier. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 144 points. The Wolverines will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive after starting the season 2-0 Straight Up (SU) and 1-0 Against The Spread (ATS). The Wolverines are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a superb .518 from the field. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Wolverines, who allow only 56.0 points per game.
Across the court, the Musketeers haven’t been a good bet ATS so far with a record of 0-2 to go along with a 2-0 SU record. The Musketeers are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .794 free throw percentage that ranks 18th in Division I. The Musketeers have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 15.5 offensive rebounds per game, 50th in the country.
Michigan and Xavier will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Xavier, O/U – Over
Notes
Michigan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Xavier averages 79.5 points per game, placing the team just 131st in the nation. Michigan ranks 23rd in points allowed, giving up 56.0 points per game.
The Xavier Musketeers rank 90th for their offensive rating of 114.6. The Michigan Wolverines have a defensive rating of 86.9 (ranked 57th).
The Xavier Musketeers average a field goal percentage of 42.1% this season. The Michigan Wolverines are a perfect 1-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 42.1% or greater.
The Michigan Wolverines rank lower for their field goal percentage (40th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (27th), but the Xavier Musketeers have a better FG% ranking (222nd) than eFG% ranking (228th).
Michigan ranks 59th in assists, registering 17.5 per game. Xavier performs worse at 158th with 14.0 assists per game.
The Xavier Musketeers rank 50th in offensive rebounds. The Michigan Wolverines rank 270th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
