Marquette-Xavier Line at -2.5: Recent Trends Favor the Under in This Game

The Marquette-Xavier line was set at -2.5 with the Musketeers favored.  65 percent of those betting the spread were backing Xavier.  140.5 was the total at BetDSI.com and close to 80 percent of those betting it were on the UNDER.

Xavier is one of only two programs (Michigan State) to reach the round of 16 in each of the last three seasons.

"I think we play our best basketball in March," Xavier center Kenny Frease said. "With the guys on our team, we have a lot of experience in the NCAA tournament. I think that will really help us coming down the stretch."

The Golden Eagles are in their sixth straight tournament with Marquette going 9-9 in the Big East before winning a pair of games in the Big East tournament.  Needless-to-say, they will come into this game on a high note. 

"I think that our mode is much better this week than it was two weeks ago," coach Buzz Williams said.

For sports betting enthusiasts, studying the total in this game – specifically the UNDER – might make the most sense though Gambling911.com would give only about a 60 percent edge to the UNDER based on these stats. 

While the OVER for Marquette is 5-1 in non-conference games, when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games, the OVER is just 3-10. 

Off a loss against a conference rival, the OVER for Xavier games is just 1-7 in the past three seasons. 

Other odds for the second round in Cleveland appear below.

NCAA TOURNAMENT - SECOND ROUND QUICKEN LOANS ARENA, CLEVELAND, OH

- Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com