Xavier Musketeers Odds to Win the NCAA Championship
Written March 25, 2009 by Anthony Moretti
The Xavier Musketeers earned a spot in this year’s Sweet 16 with wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament against Portland State and Wisconsin, respectively. As a #4 seed that did not garner much national attention throughout the year, the Musketeers have been flying a bit under the radar in the tournament, but this is a team certainly has the chops to advance to the Elite 8 under the right circumstances. The odds for Xavier to win the championship this year were updated after the win over Wisconsin that sent them to the Sweet 16. As of now the Xavier Musketeers are at 50-to-1 odds to win the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament.
Xavier breezed through their first round game against Portland State with an 18 point victory, the third straight season that the Musketeers have advanced to the second round in the NCAA tournament. Their second round game, however, wasn’t quite so easy. They squared off against a defensively tough Wisconsin team in battle that was much closer than the 60-49 final might indicate. Xavier was actually trailing in the game 33-26, but surged on defense to hold the Badgers scoreless for nearly six minutes. One of the best things about this team is that they do not rely on one or two players for offensive production. Xavier got 20 of their 60 points from players off of the bench against Wisconsin, and they will be looking for a similar, if not better, performance out of their bench in their Sweet 16 match up against the #1 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers. Xavier has quietly become a dark horse in this tournament and while their biggest test to date come this Thursday, don’t think for a minute that this game will be a walk in the park for Pitt.
The Muskies have already shown great defense in the tournament, allowing Wisconsin to shoot just 25% from the floor in the second half and letting the Badgers hit a mere 1 of thier 15 three-point attempts. Rebounding has been a key for Xavier all season, and that has held true in their first two tournament games. Pitt is a bigger, more physical team than they have faced so far, but their success in this round will no doubt be decided with how the Musketeer crash the boards. Think Xavier has a chance to win it all? Bet the Musketeers +5000 to win the NCAA tournament.
Xavier comes into Thursday’s showdown with Pitt as a 7 point underdog. To upset the Panthers they must establish a scoring threat and their best option is probably B.J. Raymond. Besides trying to keep up on the offensive end of the court, the Muskies need to do what they’ve done to get to this point, play shut-down defense and attack the boards. Xavier can’t afford to fall behind early against Pitt as I do not feel like they are dynamic enough offensively to mount a comeback. For the Muskies to win they’ll need to keep the game close, the tempo slow, and avoid giving the Panthers many second-chance shots on offense.
This college basketball betting season our top basketball handicappers can help you beat the NCAA basketball odds with their much sought after college basketball picks.
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- Xavier vs Wisconsin: March Madness Odds & Predictions
- Xavier 2009 NCAA Tournament Predictions & Odds to Win
- Xavier vs. Portland State: NCAA Tournament Predictions
- Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Championship
- Odds to Win the NCAA Tournament: Pittsburgh
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