The No. 8 seed St. Bonaventure Bonnies (23-9) meet the No. 2 seed Xavier Musketeers (21-13) Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York for an NIT Semifinal. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the St. Bonaventure vs. Xavier odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
St. Bonaventure advanced in the tournament with wins over Colorado (76-68), Oklahoma (70-68) and Virginia (52-51). The Bonnies are 11-2 since Feb. 8 but won their last two games by a combined 3 points.
SBU is a slow-down team that relies on efficiency at both ends of the floor. The Bonnies have held foes to a 42.3% mark from the floor and made 4.8 blocks per game across their 11-2 run.
Xavier struggled down the stretch in the Big East, going 4-7 in its last 11 regular-season games and then losing its Big East tourney opener. However, the Musketeers have rallied for three NIT wins on home hardwood against Cleveland State (72-68), Florida (72-56) and Vanderbilt (75-73).
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
St. Bonaventure vs. Xavier odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: St. Bonaventure -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Xavier +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
- Against the spread (ATS): St. Bonaventure -1.5 (-110) | Xavier +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 140.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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St. Bonaventure vs. Xavier odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Xavier 69, St. Bonaventure 65
Money line
Take the plus money on the five that hasn’t been on the road for three straight games before heading to Madison Square Garden. Peg the Bonnies as having a bit of shooting luck — twice on offense and once on defense — so far in this tournament. The Musketeers figure to have an edge on the boards and in getting to the charity stripe.
TAKE XAVIER (+102).
Against the spread
PASS.
Over/Under
The Under is 4-1 in the Bonnies’ last five games against foes playing .600 or better basketball.
Both sides are bottom-third squads in 3-point percentage. Slower-paced St. Bonaventure has done well to be the tempo-controlling team of late.
TAKE THE UNDER 140.5 ( -115).
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