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Kennesaw State vs. Xavier picks, predictions: Who wins NCAA Tournament first-round game?

jeremy cluff, arizona republic
·3 min read

No. 14 seed Kennesaw State and No. 3 seed Xavier face off on Friday in an NCAA Tournament first-round game.

The game is scheduled for 9:40 a.m. MST and can be seen on truTV.

Who will win the game?

Check out these picks and predictions for the contest.

Xavier is an 11.5-point favorite in the game, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

Fansided: Take Kennesaw State with the points vs. Xavier

Reed Wallach writes: "The Owls can also keep a lid on Xavier with their constant changing of defensive schemes. Amir Abdur-Rahim has his team throwing different looks at opponents often, including a press that can cause issues for Xavier, who is 129th in turnover percentage. This will not be an easy first round matchup for Sean Miller’s Musketeers with the Owls’ ability to gash the overrated Xavier defense."

Sportsbook Wire: Xavier 80, Kennesaw State 70

It writes: "Xavier has covered 18 times in 34 matchups with a spread this season. Kennesaw State has covered 21 times in 31 games with a spread this year."

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FanDuel: Xavier 80, Kennesaw State 72

Devon Platana writes: "Despite calling for a Xavier victory, I don't expect the 11.5-point spread to be covered. For starters, The Musketeers have failed to cover the spread in three of their previous four outings while being an uninspiring 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorite."

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Will Sean Miller and the Xavier basketball team beat Kennesaw State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?
Will Sean Miller and the Xavier basketball team beat Kennesaw State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?

World Sports Network: Go with Xavier in game vs. Kennesaw State

Christian Jope writes: "While the Owls don't have the name recognition to intimidate teams, their results speak for themselves. Despite being one of the stronger shooting teams in their A-Sun Conference, Kennesaw State has won nine of 15 games when they've shot lower than 45.0% from the field. Impressively, the Owls held their opponents under 45.0% from the field in those games. Kennesaw State needs more depth and overall talent, and its star backcourt is expected to be outmatched by Xavier's. The Owls are sure to manufacture some solid opportunities, but Xavier will have the advantage in overall execution and paint presence."

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Sports Chat Place: Xavier will cover against Kennesaw State

Randy Chambers writes: "Outside of double-digit losses to Florida and Indiana, Kennesaw State hasn’t really played anybody this season, and that’s a concern. The Xavier Musketeers are the more balanced, deeper team, and their offensive firepower is scary at the moment. I’m not sure Kennesaw State has the horses to keep up for 40 minutes. I’ll lay the chalk with Xavier in this opening round matchup."

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kennesaw State vs. Xavier picks, predictions for NCAA Tournament game