Two Big East Conference members, Georgetown Hoyas Vs Xavier Musketeers, will be going head-to-head tonight at Capital One Arena.
This is the time in the tournament when college basketball really begins to heat up. Teams start playing real road games, longstanding rivalries are revisited, and games with major end-of-season consequences are played.
But, this won’t be the case for tonight’s game between Georgetown Hoyas and Xavier Musketeers. The Musketeers hope to pull some weight in March, while the Hoyas are headed for another impending fate of struggling at the bottom of the conference.
Although they are playing on the road, Xavier can do what needs to be done, tonight.
Without further ado, MatchPlug brings you Basketball Predictions for the odds and picks for this game.
NCAAB: Georgetown Hoyas Vs Xavier Musketeers | December 16, 2022
- Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., United States
- When: December 16, 2022
- Teams To Play: Georgetown Hoyas VS Xavier Musketeers
- Time: 15:30 GMT
- Pick: Xavier – 10.5 | Play to -13.5
Georgetown Hoyas VS Xavier Musketeers Odds
These are the odds for tonight’s game between Georgetown Hoyas and Xavier Musketeers.
Georgetown Odds:
- 1XBet Odds: 4.88
- Spread: +11.5
- Total: Under 156.5
- Moneyline: +479
Xavier Odds:
- 1XBet Odds:1.18
- Spread: -11.5
- Total: Over 156.5
- Moneyline: -630
Full Odds For Georgetown Hoyas Vs Xavier Musketeers On 1XBet.
Full Odds For Georgetown Hoyas Vs Xavier Musketeers On BetMGM.
Georgetown Hoyas
Six years into this reign as head coach, Patrick Ewing’s squad is in deep waters.
Ewing has only ever made one NCAA Tournament with his Hoyas, and that was when he led the 9-12 team to a surprising Big East Tournament win.
However, this short-lived win was succeeded by an immediate blowout loss in the first round.
Last season, they recorded another low point in their basketball history. Since they joined the Big East in 1979, they haven’t won lesser than four games in conference play. Last year they finished 0-19 against Big East competition.
As a way to revive his dying program, Ewing took the lead in the transfer portal. Instead, he came home with a confusing mix of cast-offs and mid-major players desperately in need of a chance.
Jay Heath is already in his third school, Qudus Wahab transferred from Maryland back to Georgetown after leaving them for Maryland last year.
The only win for the head coach during transfers was Primo Spears, who secured 13 points per game during his time as a freshman at Duquesne. Spears leads Hoyas in scoring this season with over 17 points a night.
However, Georgetown’s scoring isn’t their major issue. They have four players who average double figures in an inside-outside balance offense. Their challenge instead is mostly from the team’s defense. Hoyas’ defensive unit isn’t very strong, and they have already taken beatings for it.
Xavier Musketeers
Head coach for the Musketeers, Sean Miller is set for his second era and so far, there is nothing that shows he won’t succeed in Cincinnati again.
Sean Miller left Xavier for the Arizona Wildcats after leading them to an Elite 8 and Sweet 16. At Arizona, he established one of the most sustainable programs in college basketball, leading them to three Elite 8 trips and two more Sweet 16s within 12 seasons.
However, he was fired as Arizona’s coach following an FBI probe into recruiting violations in college basketball. Last week, the NCAA revealed that Miller would no longer face punishment.
This gives him the freedom to build his Musketeers into one of the Midwest’s tougher programs, although now they are in the Big East.
Miller has enough material to work with. The Musketeers rank 51st nationally in minutes continuity from last season and 23rd in Division 1 basketball, according to KenPom.
Four, star players from last season’s rotation have returned and are joined by Souley Boum, a fifth-year player with a combined 2,000 career points at San Francisco and The University of Texas at El Paso.
Boum is a certified scorer, tallying more than 20 points 18 times last season. He’s off to a quick start and has scored more than half of his threes in the Musketeers’ first 11 games.
On the question of defense, Xavier can be found wanting in places where they’ve allowed too many high-quality 3-point attempts. This was clear when they lost by 4 to Gonzaga Bulldogs. A game where the Bulldogs shot 13-of-24 from deep.
In spite of this, Xavier fans should be happy with their first-year performance so far. They’ve survived through non-conference play with 3 losses at the hand of the top 20 NCAAB teams.
Georgetown Hoyas Vs Xavier Musketeers Betting Pick
There is no clear evidence that Georgetown Hoyas is ready to compete with Xavier Musketeers, talk more of any other strong opponent in the conference.
They have played 4 games against select top-150 competition and are 0-4 with an average margin of 15.8 defeats in those games.
Georgetown only ever held a lead in the 2nd half in those four games when it topped Loyola Marymount Lions by 10 points, before fumbling and losing by 18.
The only reason why Xavier may not beat Georgetown is that the latter would be playing at home. The Xavier Musketeers played only one good road game before tonight’s game at DC, and they won that game. They beat Cincinnati Bearcats 80-77 in Crosstown Shootout.
Xavier is an obvious pick for this game. They are more talented, have a better coach, and are sharp on both offense and defense. They also have good numbers for a road team playing in the conference.
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