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Kennesaw State vs. Xavier Predictions, Odds & Picks: Owls Face Musketeers in First March Madness Trip

Philip Wood

Last Updated: March 17, 2023 9:06 AM EDT • 2 min 51 sec read.

Head coach Sean Miller of the Xavier Musketeers as we look at our Kennesaw State vs. Xavier prediction
Head coach Sean Miller of the Xavier Musketeers reacts during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays in the Semifinal round of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP.

The Kennesaw State Owls are in March Madness for the first time but have a difficult first-round test against the Midwest region's third-seeded Xavier Musketeers. Here is our best Kennesaw State vs. Xavier prediction based on the top NCAAB odds.

The Owls have won five in a row and eight of their last nine games overall. They won a 67-66 thriller over the Liberty Flames in the Atlantic Sun final to earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Three of their players average over 10 points per game, with Chris Youngblood leading the way with 14.7 per contest.

The Musketeers finished second in the Big East this season, and they fell 65-51 in the Big East Tournament final against the Marquette Golden Eagles. That loss came just one day after they beat the Creighton Bluejays 82-60. They have won five of six games entering the tournament.

Here is our best Kennesaw State vs. Xavier prediction (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier odds

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier prediction

Jack Nunge Over 23.5 points, assists, and rebounds (-115 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Making a traditional play on this game is not an easy task. The Musketeers are favored by 12.5, which is a number they should easily be able to cover. Yet, it’s always hard to know what to expect from a team in their first NCAA Tournament. The total seems really high, but then again, the Musketeers do average the sixth-most points per game in the country, so they could easily hit 90 in this contest.

Rather than try to predict what the Owls are going to do, we recommend backing Jack Nunge to have a huge night. The seven-footer is going to be impossible for the Owls to stop, which is going to allow him to score and rebound at will.

On the season, Nunge is averaging 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. You would think that oddsmakers would be expecting him to go above his averages in every category on Friday. Even if he struggles to score, he should have a great game on the glass. The Owls are allowing 33.3 rebounds per game, which is 120th in the nation.

Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier best odds

DraftKings (-115)

DraftKings
Over 23.5 PRA
-115

The only sportsbook that is offering this prop is DraftKings. BetMGM does have Nunge props for rebounds, points, and assists, and he is favored by a significant margin to hit his Over in all three categories.

Don’t pay a hefty price for him to hit his Over in one category, when you can get a better price for his combined Over. There is always the chance he doesn’t score or rebound as much as we anticipate, but he should be able to make up for it in other areas to get this Over. 

Essentially, by taking this combo, you are hedging and ensuring you win in what is sure to be a mismatch.

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier odds analysis

The Musketeers opened as 11.5-point favorites but the consensus line has grown to -12.5 as of Friday morning. The favorites are backed by 53% of the betting action on the spread with some money coming in on Kennesaw State Thursday night.

The total opened at 154.5, and despite support for the Over (55%), the number has either not moved or gone down at each of our best sportsbooks. Expect this total to stay where it is ahead of Friday’s game.

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier game info

  • Date: Friday, March 17, 12:40 p.m. ET
  • TV: truTV
  • Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC

Kennesaw State vs. Xavier pick made 03/15/2023 at 3:01 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Philip Wood
Phil is a Sports Betting Analyst for Sportsbook Review and BettingPros.com, specializing in NFL and college football. He previously covered college football and college basketball for CanesInsight.com, where he also hosted the College Football Pick 'Em podcast. Phil is always looking for value, especially on lines that just seem too good to be true. His belief is if a line doesn't make sense, just assume that Vegas knows something you don't. An alumnus of The U, Phil always holds out hope that the next head coach will be the one who turns the football program around. Some would call him a frontrunner for his love of the Yankees and the Celtics, but he's also a diehard Detroit Lions fan and will never forgive the refs for the blown pass interference call against the Cowboys in 2015.