College Hoops Betting Odds – Xavier vs. #17 Temple in A-10 Battle

Xavier at Temple (-4)
Date: 1-20-10
Time: 7:00 PM ET

Key Trends

• Xavier is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
• Xavier is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 road games
• Temple is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
• Temple is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games at home
• Temple is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 home games against Xavier

• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Xavier’s last 9 games

The Xavier Musketeers (12-5 SU, 10-6 ATS, 11-4 O/U) and the Temple Owls (15-3 SU, 11-7 ATS, 5-9-1 O/U) will renew their longstanding A-10 rivalry tonight when the foes hit the court at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia at 7 PM ET.

411 on the Owls

Fran’s apparently the man.

Former longtime University of Penn head coach Fran Dunphy looks like he’s in the process of building another national powerhouse after taking Penn to unprecedented heights during his time with the Ivy League school.

Now, after moving to Temple following the retirement of beloved former head coach John Chaney, Dunphy is working his magic once again.

The 17th-ranked Owls got an early lead on UMass on Saturday before cruising to a 76-64 victory to pick up their fourth win in a row.

Temple failed to cover the college basketball point spread as a 15-point home favorite but has gone a solid 6-4 ATS over its last 10 games.

411 on the Musketeers

Xavier has also won four straight games coming into tonight’s matchup, beating Dayton 78-74 on Saturday despite failing to cover the NCAAB money line as a 5-point home favorite. The Musketeers have also gone 6-4 ATS over their last 10 games.

Analysis: My hometown Temple Owls may have the higher profile and national ranking coming into this contest, but the Xavier Musketeers aren’t very far off from their longtime rivals.

These two teams play at a totally different pace with the Musketeers averaging 78.6 points per game and allowing 69.0 points per contest and Temple putting up 64.6 points per contest and allowing just 56.0 points per outing.

I like Xavier’s up-tempo style and ability to score the ball and feel they could really give the Owls some trouble tonight despite being on the road.

Xavier has gone 4-2 ATS in its last six road games and a stellar 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog.

I know the Musketeers have struggled to cover the college basketball point spread against the Owls, but these two teams have split the last four games evenly and whenever these two teams meets, it usually turns into an all-out brawl to the finish.

I like the Xavier Musketeers to cover the spread in a narrow loss.

College Hoops Betting Pick: Xavier +5 Points