Minnesota vs Xavier 2010 NCAA Bracket Predictions: The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Xavier Musketeers are set for an 11 versus six West Region matchup this afternoon. The game is set to tip off at 12:35pm ET at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Online bookmaker SPORTSBETTING.com is anticipating a close game as they have the sixth seeded Musketeers listed as a -1 against the spread favorite in their 2010 NCAA Bracket Predictions.
Xavier comes into today's game off of a 85-89 second round overtime loss to Richmond in the 
Atlantic 10 Tournament. The setback snapped an eight game win streak for the Musketeers and dropped their record 24-8 on the season. Xavier finished second in the regular season conference standings to Temple with a 14-2 league record.
The Musketeers, which average 80 points per game, are led by outstanding sophomore guard Jordan Crawford. Crawford averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this season.
Xavier was an unimpressive 2-7 against NCAA Tournament competition this year. The Musketeers suffered double digit losses to Marquette and Kansas State, but played Baylor, Wake Forest, Temple, Richmond, and Butler closely (lost to those five teams by a combined 19 points).
Eleventh seeded Minnesota, which earned an at-large tournament bid after a strong run in the Big Ten conference tournament, finished the year with a 21-13 record. The Golden Gophers were drubbed 61-90 by Ohio State in the championship game, but they beat Michigan State and Purdue in order to get there.
Minnesota is one of the top three point shooting teams in the country as they hit 40 percent from beyond the arc for the year. They also went 4-3 in neutral site play, beating tournament teams Butler as well as the aforementioned Spartans and Boilermakers.
The Gophers have failed to make it out of the first round in their last three NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2005, 2009), losing to Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Texas by an average of 12.3 points per game.
SPORTSBETTING.com Minnesota vs Xavier 2010 NCAA Bracket Predictions:
Minnesota Golden Gophers +1 (-110), Over 142 (-110), +100 (Moneyline)
Xavier Musketeers -1 (-110), Under 142 (-110),-120 (Moneyline)
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