A battle of two teams with very different stories is set for the Elite Eight, as the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and 11th-seeded Xavier Musketeers will both try to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history in Saturday’s West Region final in San Jose, California. Sportsbooks opened the Zags as 9-point faves with a total of 147.
- Gonzaga is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games as a favorite of 8.0 or less.
- Gonzaga is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games with one day off between games.
- Xavier is 5-0 ATS in its last five games as an underdog of 8.0 or less.
Xavier shocked the basketball world once again by knocking off second-seeded Arizona 73-71 on Thursday thanks to a 9-0 run to end the game. Red-hot junior guard Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points to lead his team past Arizona to up his tournament average to 25.3 points per game. The Musketeers will look to join LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) as the only 11 seeds to reach the Final Four.
To say there is infinitely more pressure on the Bulldogs would be a massive understatement. Gonzaga, which recently edged fourth-seeded West Virginia 61-58, is paced by shooting guard Jordan Mathews, who’s averaging 10.7 points per game this season. Mathews drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 57.3 seconds remaining to put his team on top for good in the Sweet 16. The Bulldogs limited the Mountaineers to 26.7 percent shooting from the field.
Gonzaga has clashed with Xavier four times in the NCAA tournament and owns a 3-1 series lead, including victories in 2011 and 2012.
The UNDER has been the hot bet when these teams have played lately, as six of Gonzaga’s last eight have gone below the total and six of Xavier’s previous seven have went UNDER.
Xavier Musketeers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Xavier Musketeers will try to spoil to the party and cover the point spread on Saturday; they are 18-18 ATS against the betting line this season, while the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 23-10-2 ATS. Xavier Musketeers are 17-19 on betting the total; Gonzaga Bulldogs are 18-17.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Gonzaga Bulldogs rated this week at No. 2 and the Xavier Musketeers sitting at No. 209.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Xavier Musketeers rank No. 78 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 37.16 per game. That compares with Gonzaga’s No. 7 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Gonzaga is college basketball's No. 154-ranked team at 7.14 per game, while the Xavier Musketeers rate No. 153 with 7.16 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Xavier earned a 73-71 victory over Arizona on Thursday, getting 25 points from Trevon Bluiett at SAP Center.
The Bulldogs got 13 points from Jordan Mathews as Gonzaga ran past West Virginia 61-58 on Thursday at SAP Center.
- Xavier is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
- Xavier is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Xavier's last 7 games
- Gonzaga is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Gonzaga's last 8 games
