St. Louis vs. Xavier March 6 Free Pick
Xavier hosts St. Louis for the teams one and only showdown of the A-1o conference regular season. Riding an 11-game winning streak, the Billikens are one of the hottest teams in the nation looking to secure the conference regular season title, meanwhile, Xavier looks to better its spot in the middle of the standings. The Musketeers sit at 8-6 in conference play. The opening number makes St. Louis four-point road favorites in this one.
Free Pick
St. Louis is slowly, but surely, making the case to be thrown into the category of the nation’s elite
teams. Dominating the A-10 and red-hot, the
Billikens have come together as a team to peak at what seems to be the right time just before the beginning of
postseason play. Ten players on St. Louis play at least 13 minutes a game and they use their superior depth and
unselfishness to decimate opponents over a 40-minute ballgame. The Billikens are lead by great upperclassmen
that advanced to the round of 32 in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Cody Ellis is the do-it-all big man who
is also the heart and soul of the team. Rob Loe should be a tough match-up for Xavier at 6’11” and
then the backcourt is deep, talented and versatile. Jordair Jett, Kwamain Mitchell and Mike McCall highlight a
backcourt that does it all and can play at any speed. The well-rounded and well-schooled St. Louis roster will
be a lot for the young Musketeers to handle.
Xavier has shown better play as of late. They were able to defeat a supremely-talented Memphis team in between two really tough losses at the hands of VCU and Massachusetts. This will be Xavier’s fourth consecutive home game and their Senior night as they look to close out the regular season with a big win over the Billikens or Butler in Indiana this weekend. Semaj Christon has had to carry the load in just his Freshman year with the Musketeers, but he has done relatively well. He will need a lot more help in this one if Xavier wants to hang with St. Louis – no matter where the game is. Travis Taylor and Justin Martin will need to step-up and play big in the trenches against Ellis and Loe if Xavier wants to pull off the upset. Although they shoot over 34% from the three-point arch, Xavier is not a team that likes to shoot the long ball. They will look to penetrate and create in transition at almost every opportunity. The bad news is that St. Louis does not turn it over often.
This is a game where the home team is clearly outmatched by a superior opponent. St. Louis looks to be pretty much unstoppable on their road to winning the A-10 at this point. Being a road favorite in the A-10 is rare, but even the four points does not give St. Louis the respect it deserves. Take the Billikens to cover away from home.
Free Pick: St. Louis -4