NOVA REPORT
Yes boys and girls, Nova Nation is worried. Their hardwood heroes are 7-4, dropped to #23, and have looked beyond horrible over their last 3 games. Of course, shooting 20% from 3 will do that. They haven?t shot much better inside the arc either over that stretch. On the bright side, one observer pointed out that if games were 35 minutes, the Cats would be 10-1.
Tonight, they are finally back home! At 7:00 pm eastern they take on the #17 ranked and 11-1 Xavier Musketeers. Xavier has beaten Ohio St and won at Oklahoma St. Probably, their best wins. They have well balanced scoring (Scruggs-10.8, Johnson-13.3, Jones-12.4, Freemantle-10.8 and Hunter-6.0) and matchup size wise similarly to Nova. But then there is the bench. The Cats?.well.. there isn?t one (yet) while Xavier boasts super sub Odom (8-8 vs Marquette last out) and and 7 footer Nunge (31 points and 15 boards vs. Cincinnati). These guys like to push the pace and will tonight. The line is Nova-5.5/135.5.
As for my Cats?.they know how to win but recently have had amnesia. They have NOT played Villanova basketball over their last 3. To win, they need to go back to basics on offense. Dribble less, move the ball around and shoot before you get down to 5 seconds on the clock. Xavier will let Dixon be open to double Gillespie or Moore figuring no way Dixon can single handedly beat them. Unless Dixon has a dunk, he needs to pass the ball. In terms of bad shooting streaks, Nova had 4 in a row last year. They are at 3 right now. Will home cooking do the trick?
What will happen: Nova should control the pace of play and slow it down to disrupt the fast paced Musketeers. Xavier will try to use their speed at guard to get to the hoop. If Nova is switching well, Xavier is capable of knocking down 3?s. The Cats will pass more and take open shots without hesitation?.will they go in? I wish my Crystal Ball would tell me. My belief is that they WILL go in.
The Play: I have been terrible so far Capping the Wildcats. So, my play is Over 135.5 as I expect shooting to return and both teams to get to the foul line.
Nova Pick Record:3-8