Xavier Musketeers vs. Georgetown Hoyas December 16 Betting Preview

There may not be too many stories in college basketball that feature a former player struggling to keep his program afloat than Patrick Ewing at Georgetown. The Hoyas looked unimpressive in non-conference action, losing to mid-majors American and Loyola Marymount. That could end up serving Xavier well.

The Musketeers head into Big East play with the third-best odds of winning the conference outright. All three of Xavier’s losses this season have come against ranked opponents. The Musketeers came close to toppling Indiana. Here’s a look at what to think about in this game that will be the Big East opener for Georgetown and Xavier.

Ewing is in his sixth season as Georgetown coach. The Hoyas went winless in Big East play last season. The only year Georgetown made the NCAA tournament under Ewing, they went on a surprise run in the conference tournament, but would finish the year 13-13 after losing in the first round. This year’s Hoyas team is led by guard Primo Spears, who scores 17.2 points per game.

Georgetown center Qudus Wahab has also played solid minutes for the Hoyas, putting up 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. As a team, the Hoyas have been mostly middling on offense. Georgetown scores 73.9 points per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. Georgetown only shoots 32.7 percent from behind the three-point line.

Defensively is where the Hoyas have really struggled. Georgetown ranks 308th nationally by allowing 74.2 points per game. The Hoyas are also not at good rebounding team. The Hoyas are 4-6 against the spread.

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Efficiency On Offense Covers Up Defense

The Musketeers, who are only 5-5 against the spread despite being 8-3 straight up, rank 19th in the NCAA by scoring 83.2 points per game. Xavier shoots 50.7 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from the outside.

The defense has been kind of a concern for the Musketeers. Xavier allows opponents to shoot 38.1 percent from the outside, which ranks 344th nationally. Solely Boum leads Xavier by putting up 17 points per game.

The Musketeers also get big contributions from Jack Nunge, who has scored 15.3 points and grabbed 7.1 rebounds per game. Another forward, Jack Freemantle, has also been a contributor, scoring 13.3 points and grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game.

Xavier vs. Georgetown Odds

Xavier has been made an 10.5-point road favorite. The Musketeers are (-589) on the moneyline while Georgetown is (+410). The over/under has been set at 155 points. Georgetown has been underwhelming at home this season.

The Hoyas are only 4-3 in true home games. Xavier is 2-1 as a double-digit favorite this season. The big question for the Hoyas is will their offense be able to run with the Musketeers. Xavier also won’t want to miss an opportunity to get a road conference win to start a chase for the Big East title.

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