Posted on 2/18/2008 7:17:45 PM

College Basketball Betting - Xavier at Rhode Island

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: PICK'EM, Total 151

The Xavier Musketeers (21-4 SU, 9-11-1 ATS) travel to the smallest state in the Union on Monday night when they visit the Rhode Island Rams (20-5 SU, 12-9-2 ATS) in a very significant Atlantic 10 conference game that is set to tip off at 7 PM ET at the Thomas Ryan Center in Kingstown.

In the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds, the game is listed as a 'pick" with the total posted at 151 points.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends that relate to this matchup:

* XAV has covered one of its last five games

* XAV has won its last seven games SU

* XAV has played four of its last six games UNDER the total

* XAV has covered one of its last five road games

* XAV has won five of its last six road games SU

* XAV has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total

* URI is 3-6-1 ATS in its last ten games

* URI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total

* URI has won its last five home games SU

* XAV has covered six of the last seven meetings

* XAV has won 12 of the last 13 meetings SU

* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total

* XAV has covered five of the last six meetings as the visitor

* XAV has won the last five meetings SU as the visitor

* XAV has had the shooting edge in six of the last seven meetings

* XAV has had the rebounding edge in five of the last seven meetings

* XAV has made more three-pointers in each of the last seven meetings

Xavier has won 13 of its last 14 games, losing only to Temple during that time. But there have been some close shaves on the road, including two-point escapes against Charlotte and Saint Louis. And guard Drew Lavender, one half of one of the best guard tandems in the country, is listed as questionable with an injury to his ankle.

Still, Xavier has ten wins over teams who reside within the top 100 of the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), while the jury, in many ways, is still out on the Rams. Rhode Island benefited from a rather soft early-season non-conference slate, and their most significant win in A-10 play thus far was over injury-depleted Dayton. URI has one of the conference's best players in Will Daniels (18.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg), a top-notch shooter in Jimmy Baron (15.3 ppg) and quite a bit of balance elsewhere, along with an 11-0 home record. But Xavier is the more battle-tested team, has the defensive presence to slow Daniels down, and also has exhibited some mastery in this series, winning twelve times in the last 13 meetings.

Even if they have to go without Lavender, or if Lavender is at less than full speed, we still think the Musketeers have the poise and depth to emerge with a win. In this pick'em game, we'll go with Xavier in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: XAVIER

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)