The Xavier Musketeers and the Georgia Bulldogs meet Tuesday in NIT college basketball action from Stegeman Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. Here’s a Xavier vs Georgia prediction. We will examine:
- The Xavier recent form and player performance
- The Georgia recent form and player performance
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Xavier
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Georgia
- Recent betting trends in games played between Xavier and Georgia
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Xavier vs Georgia game
Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview
The Musketeers were three games above .500 in early February, but then hit a rough 2-6 stretch to finish off the season. The losses in that time came versus Creighton, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette and Butler. After a win over Butler in the conference tourney, Xavier fell to UConn on Thursday.
In the UConn matchup, the Musketeers were within one point at halftime. Xavier was drilled pretty badly 53-27 in the second half however, ultimately falling 87-60. Leading team scorer Quincy Olivari put up 17 points with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in the defeat.
Georgia Bulldogs Betting Preview
Over on the Georgia side, they got off to a nice 14-5 start this year, but only won two games for the rest of the regular season over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. The Bulldogs were able to dispatch Missouri 64-59 in the conference tournament on Wednesday. Georgia would fall to Florida by five the next day.
Matched up against the Gators, the Bulldogs came out of the locker room with a 37-34 edge. Georgia didn’t get any closer than that on a 51-43 second half though, and lost 85-80 in the end. Both Silas Demary and Noah Thomasson scored 14 points apiece to lead the way in the defeat.
Georgia Bulldogs Team Facts
- Georgia has won each of its last 17 games against non-Conference opponents at Stegeman Coliseum.
- Nine of Georgia’s last 10 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 143 or fewer points.
- Georgia has won the first half in nine of its last 10 games against non-Conference opponents at Stegeman Coliseum.
Xavier Musketeers Team Facts
- Xavier has won each of its last five National Invitation Tournament games.
- Nine of Xavier’s last 10 games have produced a total of 147+ points.
- Xavier has lost the first half in four of its last five night games against the Southeastern Conference.
Matchup/League Facts
- Georgia ranks T29th among Division 1 teams for free throws made per game this season (16.6).
- Georgia ranks 33rd among Division 1 teams for free throw attempts per game this season (22.7).
- Xavier ranks 360th among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (4.9).
- Xavier ranks T27th among Division 1 teams for assists per game this season (16.3).
Xavier vs Georgia Prediction
I’ll take a stab on Xavier in this one. The Musketeers were able to hang tough against a great UConn team in their last outing—at least in the first half. Xavier ended up shooting just 34.4 percent from the field (while allowing 58.3 on the other side) with a 43-28 rebounding deficit. The free throw shooting (86.7 percent) and turnovers (eight) were solid, though. Xavier had scored 76 or more points in four of their previous five games so they’ve certainly got the offensive capabilities to control the pace here. Georgia has hit 69 or more points in three of their last four, so we should have a fairly high-scoring total if both teams are on point. Should be a fun matchup overall.