Last Updated on March 25, 2010 5:00 pm by drew
K. State vs. Xavier Pick
Kansas State looks to end over a 20-year abscense from the Elite Eight on Thursday night when the Wildcats face Xavier in the West Regional semifinal at 9:37PM ET.
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These two teams will battle it out in the West Regional from the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kansas State is the No. 2 seed while Xavier is the No. 6 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made Kansas State a 5-point favorite over Xavier on Thursday evening. The over/under has been set at 152.
Kansas State is seeking its first Elite Eight appearance since 1988. The Wildcats have taken part in 11 Elite Eight’s in program history. The Wildcats already hold a 71-56 win over Xavier on Dec. 8 of this season. The Wildcats held Xavier to 29 percent shooting in the win while shooting 44 percent themselves. Kansas State reached this game by defeating North Texas and BYU. The Wildcats beat the Cougars 84-72 on Saturday.
Xavier is seeking its first Elite Eight since 2008. It would be its third in school history, all of which came since 2004. The Musketeers defeated Minnesota 65-54 in the tournament opener and then beat Pittsburgh 71-68 last Sunday. Xavier shot 48 percent from the field in the win and 50 percent from 3-point land. Jordan Crawford had 27 points and six rebounds for Xavier in the win while Jason Love had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Kansas State already holds a win over Xavier at home and defense was the key in that game as the Wildcats kept Xavier from getting into rhythm on offense. If Xavier can find its offensive groove early, it can win. But, we see the Wildcats continuing to reign over the Musketeers on their way to a double digit win.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: KANSAS STATE -5 and UNDER 152
March Madness Betting Trends
Xavier is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
Xavier is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Xavier’s last 5 games
Kansas State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas State’s last 9 games
March Madness Injury Report
KANSAS ST
[G] 12/05/2009 – Justin Werner has left team ( Shoulder )
XAVIER
No Injuries Reported
March Madness Game Odds
Kansas State Wildcats (-210) -5 Over 152
Xavier Musketeers (+175) +5 Under 152
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Posted: 3/25/10 5:00PM ET