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University Of Sportsbooks · Site Admin Joined: 23 Feb 2008 Posts: 136

GAME: Xavier @ St. Joseph's Mar 6, 2008 9:00PM
SPORT: College Basketball Picks
PICK: St. Joseph's

REASON FOR PICK: Xavier is easily the hottest team in the conference and with 11 straight wins, it possesses the third longest winning streak in the nation. The Musketeers are ranked 8th in the AP, 11th in the ESPN/USA Today and 6th in the RPI. It comes as a bit of a surprise with such a high RPI based on the fact that the Atlantic Ten Conference is ranked 8th in the country. Xavier might be thinking number one seed if it runs the table through the conference tournament but there is no way that ever happens.

St. Joseph’s is a team on the bubble right now following back-to-back home losses to Temple and St. Louis. Those defeats make the final two regular season games extremely important with games against Xavier and Dayton virtual must wins. It doesn’t look at though many are counting on St. Joe’s being able to win this game as the public is all over Xavier and this short line. It is short for a reason as the Hawks match up very well and nearly won the first meeting at Xavier, only to lose in the final minute by four points.

The Musketeers have been winning but they have been far from dominant. During this 11-game run, six of the wins have been by single digits with five of those coming by six points or fewer. There are six road wins in the mix and the last four have been by an average of 3.5 ppg and all four of those came against teams sitting with conference records of .500 or worse. The Hawks are just a game and a half out of second place and one of only five teams with a winning conference record.

Two of the Hawks three home losses this season have been by a single point so the 5-3 record is a touch misleading. The Hawks are 9-3 in their last 12 final regular-season games at home and this year’s version is extra special. Tonight marks the final regular-season game in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse this year and before the renovation and expansion project that is to take place. The Hawks won’t be back there until 2010 so this is a very significant game in the St. Joseph’s program.

The underdog is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings in this series. Speaking of underdog, the Hawks are not a home underdog in conference action very often. This is the first instance this season and they have been home dogs only four times since 1999-00 and have gone a perfect 4-0 ATS, covering those games by an average of 10.3 ppg. This is a revenge spot and the Hawks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games revenging a loss against an opponent. They are also 6-0 ATS after a loss by six points or less this season. Play St. Joseph’s Hawks 1 Unit

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