Sweet 16 first look: Xavier vs. Texas odds, lines and trends

The 3rd-seeded Xavier Musketeers (27-9) will battle the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns (28-8) Friday in a Sweet 16 matchup at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Tip-off from the Midwest Region matchup is slated for 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we look at Xavier vs. Texas'odds'from Tipico Sportsbook. Plus, check out our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The Musketeers made it here after beating 11th-seed Pitt 84-73 Sunday, covering as 5-point favorites. Six Muskies scored in double figures, led by F Jack Nunge’s 18 points and F Adam Kunkel’s 15 (all 1st-half 3-pointers). XU’s 1st-round win was a 72-67 decision against 14 seed Kennesaw State Friday with F Jerome Hunter scoring a game-high 24 points. The Musketeers didn’t cover as 12-point favorites, trailed most of the 1st half and even for a chunk of the 2nd.

Xavier is 2-3 against the spread (ATS) with a 2-3 Over/Under (O/U) record in its 5 postseason games (NCAA Tournament and Big East Tournament).

The Longhorns beat 15th-seeded Colgate 81-61 as 12.5-point favorites Thursday and topped 10th-seeded Penn State 71-66 Saturday, pushing as 5-point favorites. In their opener, G Sir’Jabari Rice hit 7 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 23 points, while G Marcus Carr and F Dylan Disu (game-high 10 rebounds) scored 17 each. Disu had a game-high 28 points and another 10 boards in the Penn State win, while Rice and Carr added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

  
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