Pitt vs. Xavier Odds, Lines & Picks for Round 2 of March Madness

Xavier Musketeers forward Jerome Hunter (2), Xavier Musketeers guard Colby Jones (3), Xavier Musketeers guard Adam Kunkel (5), Xavier Musketeers forward Jack Nunge (24) and Xavier Musketeers guard Souley Boum (0) push between games in the second half of a first round college basketball game between the Kennesaw State Owls and the Xavier Musketeers at the NCAA tournament on Friday, March 17, 2023, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. The Xavier Musketeers won 72-67. Ncaa Xavier Kennesaw State Basketball March 17 0207

• Xavier is a five-point favorite over Pitt in an NCAA Midwest Region second-round game Sunday in Greensboro, NC
• Xavier has won six of his last seven games
• Below is a look at the odds and predictions between Pitt and Xavier for the March Madness match of round two on March 19th

The #11 Pitt Panthers will be looking for three NCAA tournament wins in a week when they take on the #3 Xavier Musketeers in a Midwest Region second-round game on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. ET at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.

Pitt (24-11, 24-10-1 ATS) has won three of his last four, including beating Mississippi State 60-59 in a First Four game on Tuesday and Iowa State 59-41 in the first round on Friday.

Xavier (26-9, 19-16 ATS) averted a major upset in the first game by beating Kennesaw State 72-67 and earning his sixth win in his last seven games.

CBS will televise the game.

Pitt vs Xavier Odds

Xavier is a five-point favorite over Pitt and a -225 pick on the moneyline in college basketball odds, giving him an implied winning percentage of 69.23%. The Musketeers are listed in the NCAA tournament championship odds at +5500 and the Panthers at +15000.

The winner advances into the March Madness bracket to play next Friday’s regional semifinals against Texas (27-8) or Penn State (23-13) in Kansas City, Mo.

Odds as of March 18th at Barstool Sportsbook. Check out the full list of March Madness betting apps.

Pitt has Lockdown Defensive Day

Pitt had an everlasting defensive performance in his win over Iowa State.

The Cyclones shot just 23.3% (14 out of 60). They also hit only 2 of 21 (9.5%) attempts from three-point range.

Meanwhile, the Panthers made just 14 of their 41 field goal attempts for 34.1%. However, Pitt went 22-2 ahead and was never threatened despite 15 turnovers.

Senior guard Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 13 points and three assists. Senior guard Jamarius Burton had 11 points and three assists, and senior guard Greg Elliott contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.

Nelly Cummings NCAA Tournament History:

Vs. Arkansas (w/ Colgate): 14 pts, 3 REB, 4 AST, 4-8 3FG

Vs. Wisconsin (w/ Colgate): 20 pts, 6 REB, 6 AST, 2-6 3FG

Vs. Mississippi State: 15 points, 3 REB, 4 AST, 2-4 3FG

Vs. Iowa State: 13 pts, 1 REB, 3 AST, 2-5 3FG, pic.twitter.com/yK9e4MBOub

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) March 17, 2023

Junior forward Blake Hinson, Pitt’s top scorer, was held to five points on 1-of-8 shooting. He averages 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Burton averages 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Cummings has 11.2 points and 4.7 assists per game, ranking fourth in the ACC for assists. Elliott scores 10.5 points per game.

Sophomore center Federiko Federiko is third in the conference on blocked shots with a 1.7 average. He returned in the win over Iowa State, playing 11 minutes after Pitt’s win over Mississippi State.

Pitt is 38^th in Division I free throw shooting with a percentage of 76.2.

Xavier fends off great excitement

Xavier needed a late breakout to overcome Kennesaw State’s angry bid.

The Musketeers went on a 24-6 run late in the game to erase a 61-48 deficit with 9:58 remaining. Xavier held Kennesaw State to 2 of 15 from the floor in that span.

Senior forward Jerome Hunter posted a career-high 24 points and led Xavier as he was 8-of-11 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Hunter’s best this season so far was 15 points.

Jerome Hunter went up and HAS IT ✈️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/9btaCy155V

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2023

Senior guard Souley Boum added 17 points and five rebounds. Junior guard Colby Jones contributed 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Alongside a key block in the last minute, senior forward Jack Nunge filled the stats list. He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for his 11th game^th Double-double of the season along with three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Boum is second in the Big East at 16.5 points per game. He also averages 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

Jones averages 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Nunge is fifth in the Big East with 7.9 points per game and averaging 14.0 points and 2.1 assists. Senior guard Adam Kunkel has 10.4 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Xavier is fourth nationally in three-point shooting (39.5%) despite winning just 2 of 12 (16.7%) against Kennesaw State. The Musketeers also rank seventh overall in field goals (49.4) and 12th^th in the rating (81.4).

Conversely, Xavier is 310^th in three-point field goal defense (35.9).

Pitt vs. Xavier prediction

After barely breaking into the field of 68, Pitt has proven he belongs in the tournament. Look for the panthers to keep them close.

Choice: Pitt +5 (-110)

Season record: 34-30 (+1.0 units) ATS, 4-10 (-5.5 units) ML

Predictions for the second round of March Madness:

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