South Carolina State Bulldogs vs Xavier Musketeers Matchup

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

South Carolina State vs Xavier Prediction

The Bulldogs and Musketeers are set to face off at 4:30 ET on FS1. The Musketeers will host the game at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Xavier as the -25.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 146 points.

South Carolina State vs. Xavier Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: South Carolina State Bulldogs at Xavier Musketeers
Where: Cincinnati at Cintas Center
Date: Sunday, December 1st
Betting Odds XAV -25.5, SCARST +3000 | XAV -10000 O/U 146

Bulldogs Preview: Do the Bulldogs Have a Shot at a Road Win?

South Carolina State Bulldogs Recent Game/Games

South Carolina State’s struggles continued on Wednesday as they fell 82-53 to Marshall on the road. Entering the game as +10.5 point underdogs, the Bulldogs not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

After trailing 46-21 at halftime, South Carolina State managed to score 32 points in the 2nd half while allowing 36. The game’s total points of 135 fell short of the 147.5 O/U line.

Bulldogs Offense Breakdown

South Carolina State struggled offensively in their last game, managing just 53 points on 32.8% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 34.4%, and they hit only 18.8% of their three-point attempts, connecting on 3 of 16 from deep.

Free-throw shooting was also an issue, as they made just 47.1% of their attempts. The Bulldogs recorded only 6 assists, but did grab 16 offensive rebounds. Mikal Dawson led the team with 18 points in 17 minutes, shooting 46.2% from the field.

Bulldogs Team Defense

South Carolina State's defense gave up 82 points, with their opponents shooting 43% from the field. They allowed 15 two-point field goals on 28 attempts, a 53% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, South Carolina State's defense conceded 11 three-pointers on 32 attempts, a 34% shooting rate. They also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 27 times, where they made 19 free throws, a 70% success rate. South Carolina State allowed 16 offensive rebounds.

Musketeers Preview: Will the Musketeers Make it Happen at Home?

Xavier Musketeers Recent Game/Games

Xavier fell to Michigan 78-53 on Wednesday, November 27th, in a home game where they entered as +1.5 point underdogs. The Musketeers not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

After trailing 41-30 at halftime, Xavier managed just 23 points in the 2nd half while allowing 37. The game’s total points of 131 fell short of the 153.5 O/U line.

Musketeers Offense Breakdown

Xavier's offense struggled in their last game, putting up just 53 points on 33.9% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 40.7%, and they hit 8 of 24 from beyond the arc, shooting 33.3% from three-point range. At the free-throw line, they connected on just 5 of 9 attempts, shooting 55.6%.

The Musketeers managed only 7 assists and 10 offensive rebounds. Danny Wolf was a bright spot, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from three. Ryan Conwell added 19 points, hitting 5 of 9 from deep, while Vladislav Goldin contributed 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

Musketeers Team Defense

Even though Xavier gave up 78 points, their defense held the opposing team to just 33% shooting from the field, with only 20 made baskets out of 59 attempts. Inside the arc, they limited the other team to 34% shooting, as they went 12/35 on two-point attempts.

From beyond the arc, Xavier's defense allowed 8 threes on 24 attempts, a 33% shooting performance. The opposing team also struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 5 of their 9 attempts for 55%. Xavier gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bulldogs vs Musketeers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, South Carolina State has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 66 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
Through their last five home games, Xavier has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 2-3 while averaging 70 points per game.
As the betting underdog, the Bulldogs have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. South Carolina State posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.
The Musketeers have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 5-0 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.