Iowa State vs Xavier Picks and Predictions NCAAB Nov 24

Iowa State vs Xavier NIT Tip-Off Preview

WagerTalk college basketball handicapper Tokyo Brandon offers his Iowa State vs Xavier betting preview for Wednesday, November 24 as part of the NIT Tip-Off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. At the time of posting, the Musketeers have opened as a 9-point favorite over the Cyclones, with the total at 136.5 points.

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Iowa State vs Xavier Predictions

• Iowa State Cyclones +9 vs Xavier Musketeers
• Total: 136.5 points
• Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
• 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT
• Broadcast on ESPNU

Iowa State has already won more games this season than they won all of last season (2), but their wins have come against creampuffs. Now they face a tough opponent in Xavier. Iowa State’s early success can mostly be attributed to their tough defense. They have held opponents to 42.8% shooting while holding them to 57.5 points per game. Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington is the rebound and scoring leader for the Cyclones. He will probably play over 35 minutes in this game as he is the core of the offense.

Xavier also plays tough defense holding their opponents to 47.7% shooting and 58.0 points per game. The defense is anchored by 7-foot shot blocker Jack Nunge. Paul Scruggs is the key to the offense for the Musketeers. He leads the team in points per game (15.8) and generates points from others leading the team in assists.

Looking at stats alone it would seem these teams are very equal, but Xavier has played tougher competition. The key to this game will be outside shooting as neither team should be able to get much going inside. That does not bode well for either team, as they both shoot below NCAA averages in field goal percentage, 3-point shooting and free throw shooting. They both also hold opponents below NCAA averages in shooting as seen below:

FG%
NCAA AVG 50.5%
ISU 49.8%
Xavier 50.4%

3 point%
NCAA AVG 33.6%
ISU 30.2%
Xavier 29.7%

Free Throw%
NCAA AVG 70.0%
ISU 69.9%
Xavier 68.4%

Opponent FG%
NCAA AVG 50.5%
ISU 42.8%
Xavier 47.7%

I also run my own numbers and for this game I come out with a total of 129. Given all of these factors, I see this game staying under the total with Xavier winning 67-62.

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— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) November 22, 2021

Happy Hour Tip-Off Show

Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests. The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down the college basketball card from a sports betting perspective. On Wednesday’s episode, we’ll break down Florida vs Ohio State; Virginia Tech vs Memphis; and Arizona State vs Baylor.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the point spreads and totals for all of Wednesday’s NCAAB games, including this Iowa State vs Xavier showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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