March Madness: Xavier opens play against stingy Texas Southern

With the widespread opinion that Xavier is the weakest of the four top seeds, look for the disrespected Musketeers to take some frustration out on the Tigers and build momentum.

Since Selection Sunday, there has been a consensus among analyst and fans alike that Xavier is the weakest of the four number one seeds.

The Musketeers can prove the non-believers wrong starting Friday in their matchup with Texas Southern.

The Tigers come into this matchup by way of the 16 seed play-in game where they dispatched the North Carolina Central Eagles handily.

Texas Southern opened the season with 13 straight losses but faced some stiff competition including Gonzaga, Ohio State, Kansas, and Clemson.

Xavier is playing in their first game since being ousted in the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament by Providence and will look to replicate their success from last years tournament.

Last season as an 11-seed the Musketeers advanced all the way to the elite eight and critical pieces Trevon Bluiett, JP Macura, Quentin Goodin, and Kaiser Gates return from that team.

Breaking Down the Matchup

It goes without saying Xavier obviously owns the advantage in talent by a wide margin.

The Musketeers boast the seventh most efficient offense in the country and average 84.3 points per game.

The Tigers average 77.3 points per game, however, they struggle mightily on the defensive end.

Texas Southern ranks 299th in defensive efficiency and surrenders 78.8 points per game.

Prediction

For the Tigers to have any chance of keeping this one close, they are going to need a monster performance from their star Demontrae Jefferson who averages 23.4 points per game.

Fully expect for the Musketeers to come out firing and open a big lead that they won’t surrender.

Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament

This game should feature plenty of scoring, with most of it coming from the Musketeers.

Prediction: Xavier – 92    Texas Southern – 70