The No. 15 Xavier Musketeers (3-0) are off to a hot start and will try to remain undefeated when they clash against the Hampton Pirates (1-3) at Cintas Center. Action begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 20, 2017.
Hampton Pirates vs. Xavier Musketeers Free Preview
The Pirates fell to the George Washington Colonials in their last outing, 65-57. With 25 points on 12-for-25 shooting, Jermaine Marrow was the top scorer from either team. George Washington had a turnover percentage of 8.4 (better than their season average of 19.7). Hampton, on the other hand, did an excellent job of converting from the charity stripe (9-10; 90.0 percent).
In the Musketeers last matchup, they topped the Wisconsin Badgers, 80-70. With 25 points on 6-for-13 shooting, Trevon Bluiett was the top scorer from either team. Xavier played a nearly perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.377 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 25.0. For those same stats, Wisconsin had marks of 0.213 and 18.9, respectively.
The physical Xavier offense looks poised to dominate from the charity stripe. The Musketeers rank 40th in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.291, while Hampton ranks 301st in FTA rate allowed (0.288) since the 2016-17 season.
The Pirates are 15-19 straight up (SU) since last season, but have had difficulty covering the spread (1-3 against the spread (ATS)). Vegas has had a tendency to set the total high when Hampton is involved since last season as 75.0 percent of their games have gone under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, the Musketeers, have records of 24-13 SU and 21-19 ATS since last season. Xaviers games have finished over the O/U total 47.5 percent of the time over that same time frame.
Hampton Pirates vs. Xavier Musketeers Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Xavier, ATS Winner – Hampton, O/U – Under
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Musketeers rank 164th in steals per game (6.0) while the Pirates rank 263rd (4.8).
- Hampton averages 3.7 blocks per game, which ranks 105th in the nation. Xavier ranks 187th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
- Xavier ranks 65th in assists per game (15.2) while Hampton ranks 273rd (11.7).
- The Musketeers rank 18th in rebounds allowed per game (31.3) while the Pirates rank 190th (35.9).
- Hampton ranks 90th in three pointers allowed per game (19.9) while Xavier ranks 227th (22.5).
