Maryland Vs Xavier Pick, Prediction & TV Info

The 11th-seeded Xavier Musketeers and sixth-seeded Maryland Terrapins will square off in their opening round West Region showdown on Thursday after sweating out reaching the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. Now with both fortunate ball clubs looking to win and advance, let’s find out where the NCAA basketball lines value in this matchup lies.

In Depth Analysis On The Terrapins Vs Musketeers Pick, Prediction & TV Info

When: Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 6:50 PM ET Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida TV: TNT Live Stream: NCAA Live NCAAB Odds: Xavier -2     The Musketeers and Terrapins will square off on Thursday, March 16 at 6:50 PM ET, live from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida while airing live on TNT.

Why Bet The Maryland Terrapins Odds at +2

Maryland  (15-12-3 ATS) has lost four of six and six of their last 10 game overall and comes into their NCA tourney opener off a humbling 72-64 loss against Northwestern in the Big Ten conference tournament on Friday. The Maryland Terrapins average 74.2 points per game (158th) on 45.1 percent shooting (137th) but ranks a fantastic 67th in points allowed (67.8 ppg) while limiting the opposition to just 41.3 percent shooting (51st). The Terps do have a legitimate star in guard Melo Trimble (17 points, 3.7 assists), but no other players on Maryland’s roster averages at least 11.0 points per game.

Why Bet The Xavier Musketeers Odds at -2

Xavier (15-18 ATS) had their modest three-game winning streak snapped in their 75-72 Big East Tournament loss to Creighton on Friday. Xavier has lost seven of their final 10 games coming into this matchup. The Musketeers average 74.6 points per game (144th) on 45.4 percent shooting from the field (119th) and 34.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc (229th). The Musketeers get double digit scoring from three players and have a future NBA performer in point guard Trevon Bluiett (18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds), the player that makes the Musketeers go.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I’ll get right to the point by saying that I don’t like Maryland’s lack of a consistent supporting cast and believe Xavier’s collection of supporting role players like J.P. Macura (14.5 points) and Edmund Sumner (14.3 ppg) will be the difference for the Musketeers in this contest. Maryland is 1-5 ATS in their last six games, 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games against Big East ballclubs and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 NCAA Tournament games. Conversely, Xavier has gone 4-0 ATS in their last four games, 13-3 ATS in their last 16 neutral site games and a blistering 21-5-1 ATS in their last 27 NCAA Tournament games. 57 percent of the betting public likes Maryland to get the win and ATS cover, but I don’t, especially since I know the Musketeers were pretty damned good before a rash of injuries nearly derailed their March Madness championship hopes.

My final score prediction is Xavier 77 Maryland 72