The Temple Owls are in Cincinnati, Ohio today for a showdown with conference rival Xavier. The game is scheduled to get started at 7:00pm ET at the Cintas Center and can be seen in its entirety on ESPN. Temple vs Xavier college basketball picks at BetUS.com have the Musketeers listed as a big -8 home favorite.
The Owls, winners of seven of their last nine, are currently in fourth place in the Atlantic 10 with a 4-2 conference mark and an 12-8 overall record. Their last road outing did not go that well as they lost to Rhode Island 59-67 in Kingston. The Rams shot 51 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc against the Owls, eliminating a solid offensive effort from guard Dionte Christmas (27 points).
Temple, however, recovered against another Atlantic 10 foe, the Richmond Spiders, on January 31st. The Owls held Richmond to 13 first half points while scoring just 16 on their own, but they exploded in the game's second half, dropping in 58 points to win 74-65.
Xavier, who has won 10 straight heading into tonight's game, is 19-2 overall and 7-0 in Atlantic 10 play. They have little room for error, though, despite their impressive record. Dayton is close behind at 7-1 in conference and 21-2 overall. The two schools will meet for the first time this season on February 11th.
The Musketeers have lost just one game at home this year and that occurred back in December against Butler. Tonight's contest will conclude a three game home stand for them and they will be looking for the sweep after beating Charlotte 69-47 on January 28th and Massachusetts 82-80 on January 31st. A career high 23 points and two late free throws by forward Derrick Brown preserved the key win against the Minutemen.
BetUS.com's Temple vs Xavier College Basketball Picks:
Temple Owls +8 (-110), Over 134 (-110)
Xavier Musketeers -8 (-110), Under 134 (-110)
