Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Xavier and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. They have jumped out to a quick 34-24 lead against Wake Forest.
Xavier entered the match having won three straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Wake Forest step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Xavier Musketeers
Current Records: Wake Forest 4-0, Xavier 3-0
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Cintas Center — Cincinnati, Ohio
- TV: Fox Sports 1
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $20.40
What to Know
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are taking a road trip to face off against the Xavier Musketeers at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cintas Center. Both teams are still undefeated (the Demon Deacons have four wins , while the Musketeers have three).
Wake Forest is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came out on top against SC Upstate by a score of 85-80 on Wednesday. With that victory, the Demon Deacons brought their scoring average up to 75.2 points per game.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Wake Forest to victory, but perhaps none more so than Hunter Sallis, who went 9 for 14 en route to 23 points plus six assists and five rebounds. Those six assists gave Sallis a new career-high. Cameron Hildreth was another key player, scoring 18 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Xavier won against IUI last Friday with 94 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Tuesday. Xavier simply couldn’t be stopped as they easily beat Jackson State 94-57. The Musketeers were heavily favored coming into this match, and the results showcase why.
Xavier’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Zach Freemantle led the charge by going 8 for 11 en route to 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Dante Maddox Jr., who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Xavier was working as a unit and finished the game with 28 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jackson State only posted ten.
Wake Forest pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for Xavier, their victory bumped their record up to 3-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wake Forest has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38.2 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Xavier struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 37.7. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wake Forest is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing on the road this season.
Odds
Xavier is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Wake Forest, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Musketeers as a 4.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 157.5 points.
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Series History
Xavier has won 2 out of their last 3 games against Wake Forest.
- Dec 14, 2019 – Wake Forest 80 vs. Xavier 78
- Dec 17, 2016 – Xavier 69 vs. Wake Forest 65
- Dec 22, 2015 – Xavier 78 vs. Wake Forest 70
