There is a major misconception out there that the UCLA defense is an iron wall, and because of that we are not surprised at all to be seeing 130's on the board. Truth be told they will have trouble stopping a team that plays an offense that they are not used to, and we fully expect Xavier to come very close to their tournament average of just over 79 points.
For starters Xavier knows that if they are going to win tonight they are going to have to push the ball and get quick transition points. The good news is that tiny PG Drew Lavender is the perfect player to run the offense, and his teammates know it.Drew?s a winner in every sense of the word,? backcourt partner Stanley Burrell said. ?It?s great having him here. We wouldn?t be where we are today if it wasn?t for him.?
In Xavier?s first three tourney games, Lavender has averaged 13.3 points and six assists per game. Lavender went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute of an 85-78 victory over Purdue in the second round, finishing with 18 points and nine assists.
Lavender has a total of six turnovers in 106 high-pressure minutes. That might be the most important statistic on a team that depends on ball movement to spread the scoring load. He will also help distribute the ball to fellow teammate SF Josh Duncan.
The other side of the equation is that UCLA is no stranger to scoring the basketball and playing in a fast paced game, as they put up 88 points against Western Kentucky on Thursday. Even better for us is that the Musketeer defense will not put up much of a fight against UCLA's inside presence of Kevin Love and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Love ripped up the Western Kentucky defense for 29 points and is looking to have another field day against Xavier on Saturday.
While we don't need a shootout for this one to go over the very low posted total of 130, we well expect each team to put up at least 70 points which helps this one easily sail over the total. Just in case it comes down to the wire, we know that we can count on some late game scramble points as this one should be close throughout and both teams will look to extend the game in the final seconds.
Take the over and we'll see you at the cashiers window.
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Visit my daily sports blog at Pendulum Sports | Sports picks and betting advice for MLB, NFL, NCAA, NBA, and more | MLB Preview - National League Central
For starters Xavier knows that if they are going to win tonight they are going to have to push the ball and get quick transition points. The good news is that tiny PG Drew Lavender is the perfect player to run the offense, and his teammates know it.Drew?s a winner in every sense of the word,? backcourt partner Stanley Burrell said. ?It?s great having him here. We wouldn?t be where we are today if it wasn?t for him.?
In Xavier?s first three tourney games, Lavender has averaged 13.3 points and six assists per game. Lavender went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute of an 85-78 victory over Purdue in the second round, finishing with 18 points and nine assists.
Lavender has a total of six turnovers in 106 high-pressure minutes. That might be the most important statistic on a team that depends on ball movement to spread the scoring load. He will also help distribute the ball to fellow teammate SF Josh Duncan.
The other side of the equation is that UCLA is no stranger to scoring the basketball and playing in a fast paced game, as they put up 88 points against Western Kentucky on Thursday. Even better for us is that the Musketeer defense will not put up much of a fight against UCLA's inside presence of Kevin Love and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Love ripped up the Western Kentucky defense for 29 points and is looking to have another field day against Xavier on Saturday.
While we don't need a shootout for this one to go over the very low posted total of 130, we well expect each team to put up at least 70 points which helps this one easily sail over the total. Just in case it comes down to the wire, we know that we can count on some late game scramble points as this one should be close throughout and both teams will look to extend the game in the final seconds.
Take the over and we'll see you at the cashiers window.
________________________________________________________
Visit my daily sports blog at Pendulum Sports | Sports picks and betting advice for MLB, NFL, NCAA, NBA, and more | MLB Preview - National League Central
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