The Xavier Musketeers were seen by the oddsmakers as one of the weakest No. 1 seeds in recent memory, and they are out to prove them wrong. Xavier was listed as the fifth favorite to win the West Regional, with many expecting either the Florida State Seminoles or the Missouri Tigers to knock them off.
Florida State is looking to prove something too. The Seminoles weren’t expected to do too much this season after losing three players to the NBA, but they are now in the Round of 32. A win over Xavier would send the school into the stratosphere.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, March 18, 2018, at 8:40 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will be televised live on TNT. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
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The Seminoles put Missouri away with a dominating performance in the first half and cruised the rest of the way. Florida State had a 42-20 lead on Missouri at halftime and then relied on its defense to carry it against the Tigers. Head coach Leonard Hamilton emptied his bench and used a myriad of lineups to fluster Missouri, who didn’t have the depth to keep up with FSU. That led to the Seminoles easily covering as a one-point favorite per the CBB betting odds.
Xavier and Texas Southern played the highest scoring game in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers were content to run and gun with the Tigers, with three players finishing with at least 24 points in an easy victory. Xavier hit 54.7 percent from the floor in the victory and J.P. Macura was the star. Macura went 5-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Xavier just barely failed to cover, winning by 19 as a 19.5-point favorite on the closing NCAAB line.
Matchup to Watch
The backcourt is what you should keep an eye on in this matchup.
Florida State is normally a defensive basketball team, but Hamilton has let the team play up-tempo basketball this season and the offense responded well. The Seminoles were the third-highest scoring team in the ACC and guard play is a big reason why.
FSU will pair a variety of combinations against Xavier’s top duo. Terance Mann, Braian Angola, Trent Forrest, and P.J. Savoy all played big minutes against Missouri, and Hamilton will use them all for big chunks against Xavier too.
The Musketeers will respond with J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett. Macura and Bluiett have been the two leaders for Xavier all season, and the team needs these two to continue to shine to keep winning in March. They haven’t let the team down all season, making big shots time and time again to keep Xavier ahead of the competition.
Key Stat
Typically, Florida State is able to outmuscle opponents on the glass, but it may be hard-pressed to do so in this one. Xavier has some big bodies that it can use to keep FSU from establishing the paint as its territory and was one of the better rebounding teams in the country.
Both of these teams will bring their guards inside to help with rebounding duties, meaning that we could see a number of fast breaks in this one. The guards have been solid in transition, and that could lead to the over being a great play.
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FSU is likely to be an eight- or nine-point underdog in this one. The Seminoles have been decent without their superstars this season, but will see their journey come to an end in Nashville. However, they will be able to keep it close and get the cover due to their depth.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Xavier 79, Florida State 73
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