Bradley Braves vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 11/26/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Thursday, November 26, 2020

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Bradley (+7.5)

The Bradley Braves (23-11 last season) go to Cintas Center on Thursday where they'll take on the Xavier Musketeers (19-13 last year). The spread on this contest has Xavier as 7.5-point favorites. The O/U is set at 137.

Bradley enters this contest after finishing with a record of 23-11 last year. The Braves hit on 37.2% on shots from 3-point land (230 of 618) and 73.5% from the free throw line. They had an average of 71.7 points per outing (156th in the nation) while hitting 44.1% from the floor. They turned it over 11.8 times per game and as a team committed 16.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a basketball team, Bradley snagged 38.5 rebounds per game and earned 457 dimes last year, which was 68th in Division 1 in terms of passing. On the defensive end of the court, the Braves forced their opponents into 12.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. The Braves gave up a field goal percentage of 39.5% (765 of 1,939) and they relinquished 33.5 rebounds per game as a squad. They were ranked 192nd in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 400 conceded last year. They relinquished 31.6% on 3-point attempts and they were 75th in the country in PPG allowed (65.9).

The Bradley Braves took the court against the Valparaiso Crusaders and earned the victory with a final of 80-66 the last time they played last year. Bradley wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.3% field goal percentage (29 out of 60) and buried 8 of their 17 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Braves knocked down 14 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 87.5%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned 34 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 15 assists in this matchup while having 5 steals and 2 rejections. In reference to defending, Bradley allowed 48.3% from the field on 29 of 60. Valparaiso dished out 14 dimes and 5 steals in the game. Moreover, the Crusaders grabbed 26 rebounds (6 offensive, 20 defensive) and earned 2 blocks. Valparaiso ended up going 66.7% from the free throw line by making 8 of 12 shots. They also buried 10 out of their 29 tries from long range.

Darrell Brown is a guy who saw a lot of action in this contest. He recorded 21 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He played 38 minutes played and collected 2 rebounds. Brown finished the game shooting 42.9% from the floor and also earned 9 assists. Someone else that was a contributor in this game for the Braves was Nate Kennell. He grabbed 2 rebounds and tallied 4 assists. He finished the game at 54.5% from the field for the game by going 6-of-11 (14 points). At the conclusion of this game, Kennell was on the court for 37 minutes.

Xavier had a mark of 19-13 last season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Musketeers hit 43.6% from the field, which had them ranked 186th in the nation. Xavier had 2,261 pts throughout last season (70.7 per game) and they pulled down 38.8 rebounds per game. They dished out assists 14.4 times per game (76th in college basketball) and they gave up possession 13.9 times per contest. The Musketeers were responsible for committing 16.7 fouls per contest and they hit 65.8% from the free throw line. The Musketeers on defense were ranked 126th in the nation in points allowed per game with 67.6. They conceded 12.0 dimes and 35.2 boards on a nightly basis, which was ranked 131st and 195th in those categories on the defensive end. The Xavier defense allowed 30.5% on 3-point attempts (210 of 689) and opponents made 72.7% of their free throw attempts. They forced 13.1 TO's per game and let teams shoot 40.8% from the floor (62nd in college hoops).

When they last stepped on the court, the Xavier Musketeers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-67 against the DePaul Blue Demons. The Musketeers were able to corral 21 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the contest. They rejected 1 attempts while getting 10 steals for the game. The Blue Demons were called for 14 fouls for the game which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, Xavier converted 3 out of 17 tries (17.6%). Overall, the Musketeers went 27 for 60 from the field which had them shooting 45.0%. The Musketeers permitted the Blue Demons to knock down 25 of 55 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.5% in the game. They went 33.3% from three-point range by going 6 out of 18 and ended up going 15 of 18 at the charity stripe (83.3%). When talking about rebounding, Xavier permitted DePaul to pull down 35 overall (9 on the offensive side).

Naji Marshall ended up being important for the Musketeers for the game. He converted 6 out of 16 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 37.5%, which earned him 15 points. Marshall pulled down 8 boards in his 40 minutes and had 8 dimes in this matchup. One more player that was important for Xavier was Jason Carter. He was able to score 2 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood by way of 1 out of 5 from the floor in this contest. Carter wrapped this one up going 20.0% from the field and also earning 3 assists and 5 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Bradley (+7.5)

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