Xavier has dreams of making the Final Four for the first time in school history, but they'll have to get past top-seeded Gonzaga, who also hasn't been to the NCAA tournament's third weekend. The Musketeers upset Arizona on Thursday in a thriller. The Bulldogs were able to survive a defensive slugfest against West Virginia. Gonzaga has won all three meetings against Xavier since 2006. Tipoff for the West regional final is set for 6:09 PM Eastern time on Saturday night and it will be broadcast on CBS and the March Madness Live app.
No. 11 Xavier (24-13, 18-18 ATS)
After dismantling Florida State by 25 points, the Musketeers weren't able to find it that easy in a close 73-71 tussle with Arizona. That was expected as the Wildcats were the second seed in the region and they had an emphasis to reach the Final Four as the event is being played in their state this season. However, Xavier was able to spoil that potential outcome.
Trevon Bluiett (18.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg) continues to dominate in the Ncaa Tournament. He had 25 points against Arizona, which followed up is stunning 29 points over Florida State. The guard has recorded 21 or more points in six of his last nine games.
No. 1 Gonzaga (35-1, 22-9-2 ATS)
Is it finally time for the Bulldogs to reach the promised land of the Final Four?
The journey has been a little dicier than expected. Their opening round game against South Dakota State looked like more of a blowout than it really was, and Northestern and West Virginia had all the potential to upset them. Despite Xavier being the second-lowest seed they'll face in the tournament, they could be the toughest out yet.
A balanced attack from the starters aided Gonzaga to pull through last time out. Three of them scored 13 points; the best showing of them was Johnathan Williams (10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) with 13 points and six boards. After dominating with three consecutive double-doubles at the end of February, he hasn't recorded one in the month of March.
8.5 points currently favor Gonzaga, and the total O/U is set at 147 points. Xavier has won seven consecutive games against the spread.
