The No.2-seeded Xavier Musketeers face the No.15-seeded Weber State Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Scottrade Center. The game starts at 9:20 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 18 and can be seen on TNT.
The Musketeers are expecting a better outcome after their 87-83 loss to Seton Hall in the 3 of the Big East tournament. James Farr recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds, earning his fifth double-double of the year. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-77 win over Eastern Washington in their last game. Joel Bolomboy played well, registering 26 points and 11 rebounds to claim his 24th double-double of the season.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Xavier ranks ninth in the nation in defensive efficiency (98.3), while Weber State is fourth (96.3). Also, the sharp-shooting offense of the Wildcats ranks 11th in eFG% at 55.8%, while the Musketeers are 18th-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (47.9%).
The Musketeers are looking to build on their records of 27-5 Straight Up (SU) and 19-13 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been worse ATS (3-7) than their SU record (9-1) over their last 10 games would indicate.
As for their opponent, the Wildcats head into the game with records of 15-16-1 ATS and 26-8 SU. Weber State’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .410 from the field.
Xavier and Weber State will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Xavier
Notes
“Xavier is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Xavier’s last 5 games “.
Ranked ninth, the Xavier Musketeers have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 98.3 points per 100 possessions. The Weber State Wildcats rank 58th in offense, scoring 111.6 points in the same number of possessions.
The Weber State Wildcats have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 18th in the nation with a FG% of 48.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Xavier Musketeers have a subpar 2-4 record.
The Xavier Musketeers average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the Weber State Wildcats attempt 22.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Xavier is 18-4 and Weber State is 14-6.
Xavier ranks 54th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.28. Weber State is ranked lower at 179th with an A/TO of 1.04.
Weber State is one of the top defensive rebounding teams, ranking 10th. Xavier ranks 34th in offensive rebounding.
The Weber State Wildcats make an average of 5.0 steals per game. When the Xavier Musketeers give up 5 or more steals, they are a dazzling 22-3.
