Xavier vs Minnesota: Odds & Prediction  March 19th, 2010 Mar 19
2010 - 12:25pm  Team Previews: #6 Xavier  --  #11 Minnesota
Vegas Odds: pickem (each team favored by 1 at various online
books) -- Bet at bodog   Why Minnesota will win:   Minnesota got
hot at just the right time, and enters the NCAA Tournament
feeling good despite fading in the 2nd half of the Big Ten title
game. Not too many 11 seeds claim wins over Top 25 wins like
Butler, Ohio St, Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan St.   Gopher to
Watch:  Blake Hoffarber, G - 10 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg  When
Hoffarber scores 12 or more points, Minnesota is 13-0. When he
doesn't, they're 8-13. He can stroke it from three (47%) but
struggles to create shots and sometimes becomes a non-factor.
Minnesota will need him to get the long ball working.   Why
Xavier will win:  Xavier played a brutal non-conference
schedule, mostly on the road, so this big neutral-court stage is
nothing new for them. They enter having won 8 of 9 and claim the
best player on the court in 20 ppg