Xavier sat 12th in both of last week's polls with Vanderbilt 18th in the AP and 22nd according to the coaches. These two teams tip-off tonight at Memorial Gym in Nashville shortly after 7:00 PM (ET) and
ESPN2 will broadcast the clash between ranked schools from the Atlantic-10 and
Southeastern Conference.
If you're looking for something to occupy your time and
wagers leading up to conference championships that will be decided on the
college gridiron this weekend, look no further than the NCAA basketball betting
schedule. The slate is jam-packed with
solid matchups, starting Monday when the Xavier Musketeers travel to take on
the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Sportsbooks have installed Vanderbilt as a 3.5 point favorite with
141.5 the total set by NCAA basketball odds makers.
After three deep runs into the Big Dance from 2008-10,
including an Elite 8 appearance in 2008, Xavier made an early exit this past
March when the Musketeers fell to Marquette in the opening round. This might be Chris Mack's best team since he
came on board to start the 2009-10 campaign, with a good mix of upperclassmen
and a few promising freshmen.
They are a
team that shoots well from all over the floor, including 3-point land (42.3%),
but has a glaring weakness at the free-throw line (55.7%), and Xavier is a favorite to lead the Atlantic 10 this season.
Junior guard Mark Lyons is off to a fast start with a
team-high 17.8 scoring average, reaching double figures in all four Xavier
contests. Backcourt mate Tu Holloway,
the team's leading scorer last season as a junior, is putting up 15 per night
and combines with Lyons
for 9.5 assists each game.
Senior Kenny Frease is the big man down low, clogging the
lane with his 7-foot, 275-lb frame while scoring 10.3 PPG and posting a
team-best 3.5 blocks per contest. Forward Travis Taylor, a junior, leads the team in rebounds (6.8) while
freshman Dezmine Wells plays a 2-3 combo and
Another one of Mack's seniors is Andre Walker, now a
graduate student at Xavier after playing for Vanderbilt the past four seasons
before receiving his undergraduate degree. He was granted a fifth year of eligibility due to missing the bulk of
last season with injury and illness, and is seeking a masters in sports
administration which is not a degree offered at Vandy.
Walker,
a 6-7 forward, is averaging a little over 26 minutes and nearly five points per
game for the Musketeers.
How much inside info Walker
can relay to his new team about his former team is unclear, but one thing is
clear for Xavier in this game: Stop John Jenkins. The junior guard is leading the Vanderbilt Commodores with a
20.2 mark in the scoring column and is coming off a 2010-11 season in which he
led the SEC with 19.5 PPG.
Jenkins missed the team's second game of the season with a
slightly sprained ankle, but has returned to average 20 an outing in the three tilts
since. The long-range bomber is shooting
over 42% from beyond the arc, but has proven to be the only real threat for
Vandy so far from that range.
The matchup between shooting guards Holloway and Jenkins will
definitely be one to watch, but keep an eye on swingmen Wells for XU and
Vandy's Jeffrey Taylor. The 6-7 Taylor is second on the
Commodores in scoring (15.0 PPG) and leads the team in assists (3.2) thanks to
his multifaceted playmaking skills. Taylor is also a senior,
and could be a tough matchup for young Wells or anyone else assigned to him.
One player missing from the mix for head coach Kevin
Stallings and the 'Dores is big senior Festus Ezeli, out since the start of the
schedule with a bum right knee. Ezeli was to have missed the first six games
due to a suspension for an NCAA violation, so this would have been the game the
6-11 Nigerian returned. He could be back
around Christmas, and that will give Vanderbilt a whole new look.
Taking a Chance: Stallings
brought an experienced Vanderbilt squad into this season ranked No. 7 in both
polls and expecting to be a legitimate challenge to Kentucky un the SEC. But an early upset loss to Cleveland State
as 14-point chalk has the Commodores playing from behind in the national
rankings as well as trying to learn to play without Ezeli who was expected to
be a big contributor.
At home against a
poor FT shooting team, Vandy straight up looks right. I'll stop short of calling for an outright
upset, but will make Xavier plus the points my NCAA Basketball pick. Check back Tuesday when we take a look at the
Duke-Ohio State matchup here at SBRforum.com.
My Pick: Xavier plus the points