CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST NCAA BASKETBALL CAPPERS ON THE PLANET & DAILY PLAYS!! \u2014><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n We invite you to check out our Sponsor Sportsbook – Bodog.com Tournament Bracket Contest<\/strong><\/p>\n You know it\u2019s out there. That magical Cinderella team, waiting to win your heart. This year, I have to wonder if it\u2019s Minnesota. Don\u2019t laugh! These guys battled all the way to the Big Ten championship game and have beaten Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan State this season. Doesn\u2019t that mean they have a shot against Xavier?<\/p>\n Minnesota vs Xavier – Friday, March 19, 12:25 p.m. ET The one-point spread tells us that (a) this game is a pick \u2019em and (b) bettors and sportsbooks alike are truly respecting the Gophers\u2019 run, making them a favorite despite their No. 11 seeding.<\/p>\n Minnesota isn\u2019t a flashy team by any means; it succeeds more because of its defense than its offense and relies on a team concept, with no players averaging better than Lawrence Westbrook\u2019s 12.6 points per game. Damian Johnson has been a force on \u201cD\u201d for Minnesota this season, leading the team in blocks and steals and averaging 10 points per game.<\/p>\n Devoe Joseph is no Al Nolen (academic ineligibility) on defense, but he\u2019s improving and is a better offensive player than Nolen.<\/p>\n The Gophers do their offensive damage through their exceptional long-range shooting. They shot over 40 per cent as a team from beyond the arc and their key specialist, Blake Hoffenberg, shot an outstanding 47.2 per cent.<\/p>\n A top-10 offensive team at 80 points per game, Xavier is almost everything Minnesota isn\u2019t. It has more dynamic offensive talent, especially through Jordan Crawford but also through Terrell Holloway. It also plays physical basketball and is a powerhouse on the boards. My \u201chunch\u201d about Minnesota is strange in that it\u2019s not about Xavier\u2019s recent play. The Musketeers have been fine (though they lost to Richmond in the A-10 championship game) and do pose a major threat to Minnesota with their scoring and rebounding ability. But the Gophers continue to sneak up on people.<\/p>\n Their 69-42 dismantling of Purdue really showed what they\u2019re capable of. Given their defensive maturity and consistently good long-range shooting, I think they can pull off the \u201cupset.\u201d<\/p>\n Betting Trends:<\/strong><\/p>\n Musketeers are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU loss Golden Gophers vs. Musketeers Free Tournament Pick<\/strong>:Against the spread: Minnesota -1 2010 Bracketology (Click Links Below To View Each March Madness Bracket)<\/strong><\/p>\n MIDWEST Bracket (St. Louis)<\/strong><\/a> Gamblers looking for the best online free march madness picks<\/strong><\/a> and 2010 bracket predictions? Visit Our Cappers Pages<\/strong><\/a> for expert College tournament basketball Gambling Predictions from over 40 of the best sports handicappers<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/strong> College basketball Free Preview and gambling prediction including updated point spread and LIVE betting odds for the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Xavier Musketeers Friday Round 1 West Regional tournament hoops matchup…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1415],"tags":[10330,26041,4693,6530,26109,22306,26110,26111,26112,26116,26117,26113,26114,26115,4634,21162,26027,26044,26045],"class_list":["post-20257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ncaa-basketball","tag-10330","tag-2010-west-region-tournament","tag-college-basketball-predictions","tag-free-college-basketball-picks","tag-free-minnesota-golden-gophers-vs-xavier-musketeers-cbb-pick","tag-friday-hoops","tag-golden-gophers-musketeers-line","tag-golden-gophers-vs-musketeers","tag-golden-gophers-vs-musketeers-free-pick","tag-minnesota-vs-xavier","tag-minnesota-vs-xavier-free-pick","tag-minnesota-xavier-odds","tag-minnesota-xavier-prediction","tag-minnesota-xavier-spread","tag-ncaa-basketball-picks","tag-ncaa-basketball-predictions","tag-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament","tag-west-region-conference-tournament-picks","tag-west-regional-round-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20257"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106746,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20257\/revisions\/106746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/marchmadness.bodog.ca\/publish\/etc\/medialib\/promotions\/2010-march-madness.Par.47054.Image.120.0.1.gif\" "\\"Bodog\\"")
<\/p>\n
\nMinnesota -1
\nXavier +1
\nTotal: 142<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.bodogaffiliate.com\/resources\/banners\/sportsbook\/square\/250x250\/250x250a-sportsbook.gif\")
<\/p>\n
\nMusketeers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog
\nMusketeers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog of 0.5-6.5
\nMusketeers are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 NCAA Tournament games
\nGolden Gophers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games
\nGolden Gophers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600
\nGolden Gophers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record
\nGolden Gophers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall<\/p>\n
\nStraight up: Minnesota<\/p>\n
\nWEST Bracket (Salt Lake City)<\/strong><\/a>
\nEAST Bracket (Syracuse)<\/strong><\/a>
\nSOUTH Bracket (Houston)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nCLICK HERE NOW TO BET AT BODOG.COM \u2013 THE #1 SITE ONLINE FOR NCAA BASKETBALL GAMBLING LINES AND WAGERING PROMOS!!<\/h3>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"