The First Four concludes as Xavier faces Texas. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Xavier-Texas prediction and pick.
Xavier comes into the game sitting at 21-11 and was 13-7 on the year in conference play. That gave them the fourth seed in the Big East Tournament. After a first-round bye, they would face Marquette in the quarterfinals. IT was a tight game with Marquette. Xavier led by ten at the end of the first half, but Marquette would make the comeback. Xavier would lose the game 89-87. Still, Xavier would earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, Texas is 19-15 on the year and was 6-12 in conference play. That earned them the 13 seed in the conference tournament. They would face Vanderbilt in the first round, upsetting them 79-72. They would then upset Texas A&M in double overtime before Texas faced Tennessee. Texas would keep it close early, trailing by just three at the end of the first half. Still, Tennessee would win the game 83-72.
Here are the Xavier-Texas College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NCAA First Four Odds: Xavier-Texas Odds
Xavier: -2.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -152
Texas: +2.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +126
Over: 149.5 (-105)
Under: 149.5 (-115)
How to Watch Xavier vs. Texas
Time: 9:10 PM ET/ 6:10 PM PT
TV: truTV
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win
Xavier is ranked 43rd in KenPom’s rankings this year. They are 52nd in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 44th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Xavier is 58th in the nation in points per game this year while sitting 22nd in the nation in shooting efficiency this year. Further, Xavier is 12 in assists per game and 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio this year. Finally, Xavier has shot well from deep, sitting sixth in the nation in three points percentage.
Zach Freemantle leads the way for Xavier. Freemantle comes in with 17.3 points per game while adding 7.1 rebounds, the most on the team. He also has 2.1 assists and one steal per game.
In the backcourt, Ryan Conwell scores 16.8 points per game while adding 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Dayvion McKnights leads the team in assists. McKnight comes in with 4.3 assists per game. Further, he scores 9.6 points, with 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Further, Dailyn Swain has been solid. He comes in with 10.5 points per game while adding 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game this year.
Why Texas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Texas is ranked 44th in KenPom’s current rankings. They are 37th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 57th in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Texas has been solid on offense this year. They are 54th in the nation in points per game while sitting 86th in shooting efficiency this year. Further, Texas gets to the line well, sitting 44th in the nation in points off of free throws. Finally, Texas has also shot well from three, sitting 66th in the nation in three point percentage.
Tre Johnson leads the way for Texas. He is scoring 1.98 points per game while adding three rebounds, 2.8 assists, and one steal. Meanwhile, Jordan Pope is scoring 11.2 points per game while adding two rebounds, 1.7 assists, and one steal per game. Finally, Tramon Mack is scoring 10.4 points per game with 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this year.
Arthur Kaluma leads the way in rebounding this year. He comes in with 7.6 rebounds per game while also adding 12.4 points and 1.8 assists per game. Further, Kadin Shedrick is scoring 8.7 points per game while adding 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this year.
Final Xavier-Texas Prediction & Pick
While both teams are stronger on offense, there are a few key differences between the two teams. First, Xavier does not shoot a ton from three, but when they do, they shoot well. They are sixth in the nation in shooting percentage from three this year. The three is the weakest spot of the Texas defense. They are 144th in the nation against the three this year. Meanwhile, Xavier has also gotten to the line well this year. They are 23rd in the nation in made free throw attempts per game this year. Texas is 315th in the nation in opponent made free throws per game while sitting 327th in opponent free throw attempts per game this year. Finally, Texas has not been strong in the rebounding game compared to Xavier. Texas is 95th in the nation in defensive rebounds and 178th in defensive rebounding rate this year. Xavier is 63rd in defensive rebounds and 25th in defensive rebounding rate. This will be a tight game, but take Xavier in this one.
Final Xavier-Texas Prediction & Pick: Xavier -2.5 (-120)
The post Xavier vs. Texas prediction, odds, pick for NCAA First Four 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
