We head down to Charleston, South Carolina, where both the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Xavier Musketeers are coming off tough losses. West Virginia is coming off its first game away from its home gym in a 70-67 loss to Clemson on Friday. Meanwhile, Xavier dropped a tough one to Georgia in the final seconds, 78-77.
Hot, Corn, Bull, I Love All Dogs
I am all over the dog in this fight. Xavier is coming off a loss to Georgia on a buzzer beater three. The Musketeers were double digit underdogs who nearly came out on top. With the blood still fresh in their mouths after that loss, this spot against the Mountaineers is a go. Plus, the number still feels too high. It reached 7.5 on some books, but has since come down and settled at 6.5.
Some could argue that West Virginia is coming off similar heartbreak, but I disagree. Clemson knocked down two free throws at the end of the game to win by three. After those free throws, the Mountaineers turned the ball over in the final second to close it out. It does not compare to Xavier's loss.
I think this is another strong spot for the Musketeers to excel and come out on top as an underdog. They already have the strength of schedule advantage. Haslametrics has them 119th in strength of schedule through their first six games of the season. Despite being 0-3 against top 100 teams, West Virginia has faced only one team inside the top 100 away from home, and that was Clemson on Friday.
Play Your Game
The Musketeers have been solid on defense this year, excelling in forcing turnovers, grabbing rebounds, and defending the perimeter. West Virginia has struggled with generating second chance points this season, ranked 276th in offensive rebounding. If the Musketeers continue to rebound well and eliminate those second chance opportunities, they should be in a solid position this afternoon.
Plus, Xavier will want to push the pace this afternoon, while West Virginia will want it much slower. Both teams sit nearly 200 spots apart in tempo. If Xavier can speed this game up, I think this can be theirs early. West Virginia has yet to be forced into a fast game, as they have been home for most of the season, and Clemson also plays slow.
Coming off an emotional loss and having faced more top 100 teams early on gives Xavier everything it needs to possibly hand the Mountaineers their second loss of the season.
