The Midwest Region First Round get underway Friday afternoon with one of the bigger mismatches on paper. Kennesaw State, the 14th seed, will look to pull a massive upset when the play the #3 Xavier Musketeers. The winner of this game will play the winner of #6 Iowa State vs #11 Mississippi State/Pitt. Here, our pick for the Kennesaw State vs Xavier matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kennesaw State vs Xavier Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Xavier -11 |
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This game will be played at Greensboro Coliseum at 12:40 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Why Bet on Xavier:
✅ Xavier ended the season 5-1 in their last six games played and made a run to the Big East Final.
✅ The Musketeers beat the teams they are supposed to, going 12-1 in games against Q3 and Q4 teams.
✅ Kennesaw State is a great story, but they do not have the talent to stay with this Xavier team.
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Kennesaw State Owls – This Is All New
Kennesaw State made history beating Liberty in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game for the first time in their school’s history. The Owls almost choked away the lead late, but they held on and it was a party in Georgia.
The Owls rank as the 115th best team in the nation and are 2-4 in games against teams in the first two quads.
This will be the first appearance for Kennesaw State in the NCAA Tournament. This team was in Division Two until the 2006 season.
Xavier Musketeers – Rebuilding Mid-Season
Xavier went on a run in the Big East Tournament but saw their run come to an end with a 65-51 defeat against Marquette. The Musketeers have been dealing with major injury issues and have had to rebuild the way they play mid-season.
The 22nd best team in the nation, based on the metrics, the Musketeers went 12-1 in games against teams outside of the first two quads.
Xavier is making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018 season and will hope to make their first Sweet Sixteen since making a run to the Elite Eight in 2017.
