Xavier vs Kennesaw State Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 3/17/23
Kennesaw State Owls (26-8) vs Xavier Musketeers (25-9)
March 17, 2023 12:40 pm EDT
The Line: Xavier -11.5 / Kennesaw State +11.5; Over/Under: 151.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kennesaw State Owls and Xavier Musketeers meet Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the Greensboro Coliseum. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Kennesaw State Owls are averaging 75.6 points on 46 percent shooting and allowing 69 points on 43.1 percent shooting. Chris Youngblood is averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, while Terrell Burden is averaging 13.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. Demond Robinson is the third double-digit scorer and Brandon Stroud is grabbing 6.5 rebounds. The Kennesaw State Owls are shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 66.6 percent from the free throw line. The Kennesaw State Owls are allowing 34.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.5 rebounds per game.
The Xavier Musketeers are averaging 82.1 points on 50 percent shooting and allowing 74.5 points on 44.3 percent shooting. Souley Boum is averaging 16.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, while Colby Jones is averaging 15.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. Zach Freemantle is the third double-digit scorer and Jack Nunge is dishing 2.1 assists. The Xavier Musketeers are shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc and 71.7 percent from the free throw line. The Xavier Musketeers are allowing 36.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.8 rebounds per game.
The Owls are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Musketeers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 Friday games and 24-7-2 ATS in their last 33 NCAA Tournament games. The under is 4-1 in Owls last 5 overall. The over is 11-4 in Musketeers last 15 neutral site games.
Outside of double-digit losses to Florida and Indiana, Kennesaw State hasn’t really played anybody this season, and that’s a concern. The Xavier Musketeers are the more balanced, deeper team, and their offensive firepower is scary at the moment. I’m not sure Kennesaw State has the horses to keep up for 40 minutes. I’ll lay the chalk with Xavier in this opening round matchup.
