Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Super Bowl
Under new head coach Sean Miller, the #13 Xavier Musketeers (19-5, 13-10-1 ATS, 11-2 Big East) will look to continue their stellar season against the Butler Bulldogs (12-13, 11-12-2 ATS, 4-10 Big East) on the road. The latest meeting between these teams was in last season's Big East tournament when Butler took down Xavier 89-82 in OT. Xavier had won four of five head-to-head before that. Their first meeting this season is taking place in Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST.
Xavier's last game came against St. John's, and behind a season-high 15 threes, the Musketeers ran away with a 96-71 win. They led the entire way, leading by 30 at one point, and shot 53.6% from beyond the arc. For comparison, St. John's shot 39.1% from the floor as a team. Jack Nunge had a team-high 21 points and six assists in the contest, including four threes. The performance helped Nunge earn his second Big East player of the week award for this season.
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— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) February 4, 2023
The Musketeers have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Behind the 23rd-highest adjusted tempo in the nation, Xavier puts up 83.8 points per game, the sixth-most in the country. As a team, they knock down 40.4% of their three-pointers, the second-highest clip in college basketball. Overall, they shoot 50.2% from the floor, which is third in the nation. Their adjusted offensive efficiency is fifth in the NCAA this season.
On defense, their tempo leads to 76.0 points against per game, ninth in the Big East. As well as they shoot threes, they struggle to defend them, allowing opponents to hit 37.0% of their attempts. That's 11th in the Big East and 337th nationally. Xavier's rebound differential of +4.8 per game is third in the conference.
KenPom doesn't favor Xavier as much as the AP polls do, ranking them 23rd. Bracketology currently projects Xavier to earn a four-seed in the NCAA tournament. P laying on the road hasn't been a problem for them this season, as they're 5-2 away from home.
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