For the first time in its storied history, the Xavier Musketeers are a No. 1 seed. Xavier has been an NCAA Tournament mainstay over the last two decades, making it here nearly every season under Sean Miller and Chris Mack. Yet the one thing that has alluded the program is an appearance in the Final Four. Xavier has the most NCAA Tournament wins of any team that has yet to make it to a Final Four and came close to breaking through last season.
The Musketeers are in their best spot yet. They are the No. 1 seed in the West and shouldn’t have a tough game until a potential Sweet 16 matchup with either Gonzaga or Ohio State. Before Xavier gets to that point though, it has to beat the winner of the First Four game between Texas Southern and North Carolina Central.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, March 16, 2018, at 7:20 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will be televised live on TBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
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Whichever team wins out of NC Central and Texas Southern knows that it is fighting history. A No. 16 seed has never knocked off a No. 1 seed, and it’s highly unlikely to happen this time around too. Although both teams are tournament experienced, neither one won its conference in the regular season and needed some March Madness in order to get to this point.
Xavier is a tested team that had some nice non-conference wins over Baylor and Cincinnati before winning the Big East in the regular season. The Musketeers were one of the top teams to bet on all season long, but they did struggle to cover big numbers down the stretch. They failed to cover in three of their last four games per the CBB betting line.
Player to Watch
Trevon Bluiett may not get the recognition that other players do, but there’s no denying that he has been one of the top players in the country this season. Bluiett is the team’s heart and soul and has kicked things into another level as a senior. He has been Mr. Consistent during his time at Xavier, but he worked on his shooting this offseason and it shows.
Bluiett is having his best season from three-point range even though he has more attempts this year than past seasons. He is sinking over 42 percent of his threes so far this year, and that has made him even more deadly than usual. Additionally, you can’t send him to the line, because he just doesn’t miss. Bluiett is one of the nation’s leaders, hitting 86.1 percent of his free throws.
As a 6’6 guard, he uses his size and athleticism to his advantage. If a smaller guard tries to guard him, he will just shoot over him. If a taller player comes out to shut him down, he will simply go around him and drive to the basket. Either way, Bluiett wins.
Potential Matchup to Watch
No matter which team Xavier plays, it will have a massive advantage. NC Central and Texas Southern are two of the weakest teams in the tournament, but the latter is a little more worrisome. The Tigers went on an impressive run after an 0-13 start and were favored in all of their games during their run to the SWAC Championship.
Free March Madness ATS Picks
Xavier is likely to be around a 20-point favorite in this one. That’s typically what we see oddsmakers open No. 1 seeds at, and the Musketeers aren’t a team that is going to not cover by sleepwalking through a game. Expect Xavier to dominate.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Xavier to cover
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