Thursday NCAA: Temple (12-8) at Xavier (19-2)
Tonight’s Atlantic 10 game means little for Xavier, which will be in the NCAA Tournament regardless. But Temple needs to start to pad its resume, and handing the No. 9 Musketeers their first conference loss would be a nice start.
Xavier has opened as an 8-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.
Temple, thanks to a difficult nonconference schedule, is 48th in the latest RPI rating. But the Owls need a run similar to the one last season in which they won 15 of 19 games, culminating with the A-10 tournament crown. Temple kick-started that stretch with a 78-59 win over Xavier, then ranked 20th. This year’s Owls have won seven of their last nine, but have lost two in a row on the road. Xavier has won 10 games in a row.
Xavier has very good balance, so it will probably take a huge game from Temple’s leading scorer, Dionte Christmas (20.5 ppg), to pull the upset. The 6-foot-5 guard has led the conference in scoring each of the previous two seasons and appears to be set for a third.
“There’s a reason he’s led our conference in scoring the last three years,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “If you take the mindset of that’s not going to happen against us, it really can get you out of sorts, especially considering the success we’ve had defensively (as a team). Obviously, you have to be aware of him and chase him. You have to rotate different players on him and make his points hard.”
The Musketeers have three players averaging in double-digits, led by Derrick Brown’s 14.0 ppg. But B.J. Raymond has been red-hot, scoring 20 or more points for three straight games, shooting shooting 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range during this stretch.
Xavier has held 14 of its 21 opponents under 40 percent from the field this season, allowing only then-No. 6 Duke to hit over 42 percent. That was one of the Musketeers’ two losses (the other to Butler). Xavier ranks eighth in the nation in field goal defense at 37.4 percent.
The Musketeers have won 20 straight A-10 games at home, with that last loss coming in February 2006, and are unbeaten in the past two Februaries. And they have won four of the past five at home vs. Temple. But the Owls have won three of the past four meetings in this series overall.
Musketeers starting point guard Terrell Holloway, a freshman, is likely to play despite having a sprained left foot, the same one he broke in November.
WagerWeb.com Game Trends
* Owls are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
* Owls are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Owls are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 vs. Atlantic 10.
* Owls are 18-7 ATS in their last 25 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Owls are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games following a S.U. win.
* Owls are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as an underdog.
* Owls are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games following a ATS loss.
* Owls are 27-13 ATS in their last 40 games overall.
* Owls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 7.0-12.5.
* Owls are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Owls are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Musketeers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
* Musketeers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a S.U. win.
* Musketeers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
* Musketeers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.
* Musketeers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. Atlantic 10.
* Musketeers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Musketeers are 36-17-1 ATS in their last 54 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
* Musketeers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
* Owls are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
* Underdog is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
NCAA Betting at WagerWeb.com
