The 13 seed Portland State Vikings and the four seed Xavier Musketeers are set to square off against each other tonight at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. The East Region game, which tips off at 7:25pm ET, will be televised live on CBS. The winner will advance to take on either Florida State or Wisconsin.
Portland State vs Xavier March Madness Picks at SBGglobal.com have the Musketeers listed as a -10.5 against the spread favorite.
The Musketeers garnered another Atlantic 10 title this season, going 12-4 in conference play and 25-7 overall. Xavier, however, was not able to capture the conference's post-season tournament crown as they fell 53-55 to Temple in the semifinals. The Musketeers have lost two of their last three games entering tonight's tilt.
Xavier, who went 3-2 in neutral site games this season, averaged 72.4 points per game while giving up just 62.4 in return. They are led by combo guard B.J. Raymond who averages 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Portland State fought their way to a second place finish in the Big Sky conference this season with an 11-5 record against league competition. They went on to finish the year with a 23-9 overall record after winning the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings beat Montana State 79-77 in the final to secure an automatic NCAA Tournament birth.
Portland State, which went 4-1 in neutral site games this season, has four starters that average double figures in scoring. Guard Jeremiah Dominquez leds the team at 12.9 points per game. The Vikings averaged 73.8 points per game this year and they held opponents to 68.3 per contest.
SBGglobal.com's Portland State vs Xavier March Madness Picks:
Portland State Vikings +10.5 (-110), Over 136 (-110)
Xavier Musketeers -10.5 (-110), Under 136 (-110)
