8:33 pm
December 11

Cincinnati @ Xavier

Who will WIN this matchup?

Cincinnati Bearcats (7-2)

@ Xavier Musketeers (8-1)

 

Current odds:

Cincinnati Bearcats: (+240)

Xavier Musketeers: (-280)

 

• The line for this game is Xavier by 6.5 points.

• Zach Freemantle’s recovery from foot surgery is complete and it comes at a good time for Xavier as it heads into Saturday’s Crosstown Shootout against visiting Cincinnati. The 6-foot-9 Freemantle broke out for 24 points in just 20 minutes in Wednesday’s 96-50 home win over Ball State in his third contest since returning to action.

• Now he looks to help the Musketeers defeat their city rivals for the seventh time in the past nine meetings. And the player who averaged 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds last season pronounced himself as healthy after the romp over Ball State.

• Xavier (8-1) has beaten teams such as Ohio State and Oklahoma State during its strong start. The loss was to Iowa State. But in the eyes of Musketeers coach Travis Steele, everything ramps up several octaves when Xavier and Cincinnati — located about 2 1/2 miles apart — meet on the hardwood.

• Cincinnati (7-2) owns wins over Georgia and Illinois. The losses were to Arkansas and Monmouth. The Bearcats faced Bryant on Sunday, prevailing 73-58 as David DeJulius had a team-best 16 points. DeJulius averages a team-best 13 points per game for the Bearcats, who hold a 51-37 lead in the series. Nate Johnson’s 14.6 average paces Xavier.

6/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Xavier Musketeers
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