No. 6 Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 14 Georgia State Panthers Predictions, Pick and Preview – March Madness Round of 32 – March 21, 2015

March Madness lived up to its billing on Thursday as upsets rained down in the first round of the national tournament. Georgia State recorded one of those wins as they shocked highly-favored Baylor in their round of 64 clash. The Panthers will look to extend their Cinderella run even further when they face No. 6 Xavier in the second round this coming Saturday.

Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this West Regional showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our second-round previews of Notre Dame vs. Butler and UCLA vs. UAB.
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March Madness No. 6 Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 14 Georgia State Panthers Preview

Where: Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville

When: Saturday, March 21, 6:10 PM ET

Line: Xavier Musketeers (-7.5) vs. Georgia State Panthers (+7.5); total: 131.5 – view all March Madness lines

Betting on the Xavier Musketeers

Xavier stormed into the second round of the NCAA tournament Thursday with a resounding 76-57 win over the 11th-seeded Mississippi Rebels. The Musketeers relied on their inside-out duo of Matt Stainbrook and Dee Davis to hack out the victory and forge a round-of-32 showdown with Georgia State.

[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Stainbrook had a brilliant all-around performance, putting up 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The 6-10 star imposed his advantage underneath the basket, making eight of his 10 shots inside the paint. With Stainbrook manning the low block, it was Davis who wreaked havoc from the perimeter. Davis scored 17 points as he shot 4 of 9 from the three-point area.

It wasn’t only Stainbrook and Davis who excelled for Xavier on the offensive end. All 10 players who suited up for the Musketeers, scored in this game. That depth is a major asset for the Musketeers especially in the second round where they’ll face a Georgia State side that relies mainly on an eight-man lineup.

More than their offense, though, what spelled the difference in the game was Xavier’s outstanding performance on the defensive end. They did a marvelous job against the Rebels’ backcourt tandem of Stefan Moody and Jarvis Summers. After erupting for a combined 37 points in their First Four win against BYU, Moody and Summers repeatedly misfired on Thursday, going a combined 5 of 26 from the field.

The Musketeers held the entire Ole Miss team to a woeful 32.9 percent shooting (24-73), including 6 of 27 from beyond the arc. If Xavier brings that same defensive intensity against Georgia State in the next round, they stand a good chance of reaching the Sweet Sixteen.

The Musketeers are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games.

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Betting on the Georgia State Panthers

The Georgia State Panthers live to fight another day.

The Panthers recorded one of the major shocks of the tournament thus far, stunning third-seeded Baylor, 57-56, in the first round Thursday. Georgia State unleashed an incredible 13-0 run in the final 2:39 of the game to cap a magnificent comeback from a seemingly insurmountable 12-point deficit.

R.J. Hunter hit the biggest shot of his life, draining a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining to give Georgia State the improbable win. Hunter played a major part in the Georgia State uprising, scoring 12 of the Panthers’ last 13 points. Hunter finished the game with 16 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Aside from Hunter’s heroics, the comeback wouldn’t be possible without their clutch defensive performance toward the endgame. Employing a full-court trapping defense, the Panthers forced Baylor to commit three critical turnovers in the dying minutes that resulted in Hunter scoring nine straight points.

Baylor committed a total of 21 turnovers Thursday, its most in a game in the last three seasons. Georgia State needs to bring that same kind of pressure against Xavier for them to have a shot of recording another upset. They need to harass a Musketeers offense that is averaging 73.6 points per contest, 43rd in the entire nation.

One source of concern for head coach Ron Hunter is the hamstring injury to Ryan Harrow. The Panthers’ second leading-scorer, who has averaged 18.7 points per game, was sidelined in the first-round game against Baylor. With Harrow still possibly out for the game against Xavier, the onus is on Kevin Ware to pick up the scoring cudgels for Georgia State.

Ware scored four points in his return to the National Tournament, two years after breaking his leg while playing for eventual champion Louisville in the Elite Eight. Ware is averaging 7.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Panthers this season.

The Panthers are 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.

Writer’s Prediction

Xavier (-7.5) ends Georgia State’s dream run with a 72-58 win.
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