Posted on
3/14/2008 2:09:04 PM
NCAA March Madness Picks - St. Joseph's vs. Xavier
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: Xavier -6, Total 135.5
The St. Joseph's Hawks (20-11 SU, 18-11 ATS), who have now won two straight games in the Atlantic 10 tournament, now find themselves confronted with the game that can gain them a place in the NCAA tournament, as they face the Xavier Musketeers (27-5 SU, 13-14-1 ATS) in the semifinals of the A-10 championship, scheduled for 6:30 PM ET on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
In the BetUS Sportsbook, Xavier is listed as a six-point favorite, with a total of 135.5 points.
Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* STJ has won 16 of its last 23 games SU
* STJ has covered three of its last four games
* STJ has played four of its last six games UNDER the total
* XAV has won 13 of its last 14 games SU
* XAV has covered four of its last 11 games
* XAV has played four of its last six games UNDER the total
* STJ has covered five of the last six meetings
* Five of the last seven meetings have gone UNDER the total
This one is interesting from the Xavier perspective, because the Musketeers whipped themselves into a frenzy over not having any players on the A-10 all-conference first team, and the loss in last year's tourney served as additional motivation. The first game was solid, as Xavier went to the line 34 times and out-rebounded Dayton by a 34-25 margin. Point guard Drew Lavender improved his play with 12 points, six assists and one turnover in the win over the Flyers, so it was a good idea to rest his ankle.
On the other side of the coin, you have to believe this is the spot St. Joe's wanted to get to, because if the Hawks can beat Xavier and advance to the finals, they may have done enough at that point to get an NCAA at-large bid no matter what happened from there. And St. Joe's plays this opponent tough, covering five of the last six times these teams have met, and scoring the five-point win on March 6, despite 11 three-pointers by the Musketeers.
Xavier may earn its way into the A-10 finals, but it won't be easy. We're going to take St. Joe's, the six-point underdog in the BetUS NCAAB betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: ST. JOSEPH'S
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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)