Bet On NCAA Basketball: #10 Musketeers vs #7 Fighting Irish
The tenth seeded Xavier Musketeers will take on the seventh seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish Friday night in Greensboro.
NCAA Tournament Matchup: Xavier vs. Notre Dame
South Region
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Time/TV: 9:45 PM EST on CBS
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: Notre Dame -2.5
Over/Under: 124
Both of these teams have had plenty of ups and down all throughout the season. Xavier started 8-0, but they went just 13-12 the rest of the way.
Notre Dame lost its top player at the start of the season, but they went on to a surprising 22-11 finish.
The Musketeers are led by senior point guard Tu Holloway. Holloway is one of the best point guards in the nation.
His numbers are actually down slightly from last year, but he is definitely capable of carrying this team. Mark Lyons is a senior shooting guard who averages 15.3 points per game. Lyons is a very good all-around player.
Kenny Frease gives the Musketeers a solid low post presence. Frease is a 7’0 center who averages 9.5 points and 6.1 boards per game. Dezmine Wells is only a freshman, but he has had some huge games for this team this year.
Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey has had the team slow the tempo down in a big way this year. The Fighting Irish use up the entire shot clock on almost every possession. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Notre Dame has been great on defense this year, and that has propelled them to their terrific season. Opponents are averaging just 61.5 points per game against the Fighting Irish.
Jack Cooley is one of the most improved players in the nation. Cooley averages 12.4 points per game this year, and he is shooting a splendid 61.4% from the floor. Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins have done a great job taking care of the ball in the back court. Coach Brey believes these two will be among the best guards in the nation next season.
Scott Martin is an important part of this team as well, and he is the type of guy who will do everything in his power to help the team win.
Xavier hasn’t been playing very well down the stretch, but I think their senior leadership will help them a lot in this one. Notre Dame has had lots of early exits in the last few years.
I like Xavier to pull off the upset.
Free College Basketball Pick: Xavier +2.5
Prediction: Xavier 63 Notre Dame 61
