Xavier - Georgia Preview

West- Round One
Xavier Musketeers (3) Vs. Georgia Bulldogs (14)
Thursday, March 20 @ 12:20 pm
Betting Line From Bookmaker: Xavier -8.5

The 12th rated Xavier Musketeers (14- 2 A-10, 27- 6 overall) took their conference by storm, including winning 12 of their last 13 regular season games. The team, which is coached by 39 year-old Sean Miller, won a school-best 26 games.

Miller focuses on defense and emphasizes balanced scoring. Six Xavier players averaged double digits in points per game. Senior forward Josh Duncan (11.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG) has come off the bench all season, hitting 43% of his threes. Senior point guard Drew Lavender (10.7 PPG, 4.3 APG) ably runs the offense. Forward Derrick Brown (10.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG) hits 59% of his shots from the field. Senior guard Stanley Burrell (10.0 PPG, 3.8 APG) is one of the best defensive players around.

The Georgia Bulldogs (4- 12 SEC, 17- 16 overall) finished 10 games out of first place and finished 11th out of 12 SEC teams. Going into the SEC tourney, they had lost 10 of their last 12. But in the SEC tournament, they pulled off four straight wins to secure an NCAA March Madness bid.

The team saw a lot of upheaval prior to the start of the season with various key players either leaving or being kicked off. And then others were injured. The club has played with nine guys most of the season.

Senior point guard Sundiata Gaines (14.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.2 APG) is an amazing player. He led the team in points, rebounds and assists. Junior guard Billy Humphrey (12.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG) is the Bulldogs best 3-point shooter—37%. Senior center Dave Bliss (7.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG) is solid under the glass and freshman forward Jeremy Price (8.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG) has made important contributions.

This match up features the well-balanced play of Xavier versus the patchwork teamwork of Georgia.

Maddux Sports' 5 unit first round tournament game of the year goes on Thursday, start your 08 tournament on a winning note.