Morgan State Bears vs Xavier Musketeers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Morgan State vs Xavier NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Cincinnati.

Morgan State vs Xavier Prediction

The Bears and Musketeers are set to face off at 7:00 ET on CBSS. The Musketeers will host the game at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 156.5 points, and Xavier is favored by -29 vs. Morgan State.

Morgan State vs. Xavier Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Morgan State Bears at Xavier Musketeers
Where: Cincinnati at Cintas Center
Date: Tuesday, December 10th
Betting Odds XAV -29, MORGST +3750 | XAV -20000 O/U 156.5

Bears Preview: Will the Bears Exceed Expectations on the Road?

Morgan State Bears Recent Game/Games

Morgan State’s season struggles continued with a 102-81 road loss to Bowling Green on Saturday, dropping their record to 1-7. Entering the game as +9.5 point underdogs, the Bears failed to cover the spread.

Morgan State trailed 55-37 at halftime and allowed 47 points in the 2nd half while scoring 44. The game’s total points of 183 exceeded the O/U line of 151.5.

Bears Offense Breakdown

Morgan State put up 81 points in their last game, shooting 44.4% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 47.2%, with a 50% success rate on two-pointers (28/56) and just 25% from beyond the arc (4/16). At the free-throw line, they hit 61.9% of their attempts (13/21) and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, while dishing out 19 assists.

Derrick Butler led the way with 35 points, shooting 61.9% overall and 66.7% from three-point range (6/9). Will Thomas added 19 points, hitting 53.3% of his shots, and Trey Thomas contributed 16 points, connecting on 4 of 6 threes (66.7%). Javontae Campbell was efficient, shooting 75% from the field and adding 5 assists.

Bears Team Defense

Morgan State's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 102 points on 57% shooting from the field. The Bears allowed their opponent to shoot 70% from two-point range, with 28 makes on 40 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Morgan State's defense gave up 11 threes on 28 attempts, a 39% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 16 times, where they converted 13 free throws, shooting 81%.

Musketeers Preview: Can the Xavier Offense Score Enough at Home?

The Musketeers dropped to 7-2 on the season after a 76-72 road loss to TCU on Thursday. Xavier entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game ended at 148, just over the 147.5 O/U line.

Xavier found themselves down 37-29 at halftime but made a push in the second half, outscoring TCU 43-39. However, their comeback effort fell short.

Musketeers Offense Breakdown

Xavier's offense put up 72 points in their last game, shooting 48.3% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 55.2%. They hit 63.3% of their two-point attempts, while connecting on 32.1% from beyond the arc, making 9 of 28 threes. At the free-throw line, they shot 77.8%, going 7 for 9.

The Musketeers dished out 20 assists, with Ryan Conwell leading the way, adding 17 points and 6 assists despite shooting 33.3% overall and 30.8% from three. Frankie Collins and Zach Freemantle each contributed 16 points, with Freemantle shooting 61.5% from the field. Brendan Wenzel hit 3 of 5 threes, finishing with 15 points, while Dailyn Swain was perfect from the field, going 5 for 5, including 1 for 1 from three.

Musketeers Team Defense

Defensively, Xavier gave up 76 points, with their opponents shooting 46% from the field. Inside the arc, the Musketeers allowed 52% shooting, as their opponents hit 22 of 42 two-point attempts.

From three-point range, Xavier's defense held their opponents to 33% shooting, with 6 made threes on 18 attempts. The Musketeers also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 18 times, where they converted 14 for 77%.

Bears vs Musketeers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last five road contests, the Bears offense has averaged 74 points per game while allowing an average of 89. Morgan State posted an overall record of 0-5 while going 1-4 ATS.
Although Xavier has a straight up record of 4-6 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 3-7. The team averaged 75 points per game in these games.
Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Bears have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Musketeers have gone 4-6 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 9-1.