The Providence Friars booked a spot in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament after clipping the Creighton Bluejays. Up ahead for them is a meeting with the Xavier Musketeers, the No. 1 team in the conference. Read on for a preview of this game below. Register to wager with your pick.
Betting Preview for the Providence Friars vs. Xavier Musketeers College Basketball Game on March 9, 2018
Providence is still alive in the Big East Tournament, as the Friars took down Creighton in the quarterfinals to the tune of a 72-68 win. Alpha Diallo led the way for Providence, scoring 19 points and pulling down nine rebounds, while Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright each added 13 points. Beating Xavier is a tall task for the Friars, but it’s not like they haven’t done that before. Providence ended the Musketeers’ then five-game win streak on Jan. 6 on the road with an 81-72 victory, thanks in large part to the contributions of the three aforementioned Friars, who combined to score 47 points in that game. The Friars also played fantastic defense, forcing Xavier to cough the ball up 15 times.
The Friars are scoring 74.0 points per game, and have covered the spread in all of their last three meetings with the Musketeers.
Betting on the Xavier Musketeers (28-4)
Trevor Bluiett netted a game-high 27 points for the Musketeers during the team’s dominant 88-60 win over St. John’s Thursday, sending Xavier to the semis of the Big East Tournament. Bluiett is among the best scorers in the conference, as he is averaging 19.4 points per game, but if the Musketeers are to avoid getting upset again by Providence, they will need a solid productions from their other players as well – just like when they beat Providence on Feb. 28 at home, 84-74. In that game, Bluiett scored 23 points, while Quentin Goodin had 18. What was missing, however, was the usual numbers of J.P. Macura, who only had six points then and just nine points in the first meeting with Providence. Macura averages 12.4 points per game, and he is a big reason why Xavier is rated this high in the AP Poll, but he has to churn out acceptable numbers sooner than later. An X-factor for the X-Men is Kerem Kanter, who had 24 points off the bench in the loss to Providence.
Xavier is 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Xavier denies Providence’s bid for an upset with a 79-74 win.
