St. Josephs vs. Xavier - College Basketball Pick

The jockeying for position in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Conference tournament continues Tuesday night as St. Joseph's Hawks pay a visit to Xavier's Musketeers.

Since losing leading scorer and rebounder Brian Thornton for the season to a nasty ankle injury Feb. 11, the Musketeers have won three of four games, including an 85-76 win Saturday at Rhode Island as a three-point road favorite. Others, especially junior forwards Justin Doellman and Justin Cage, have stepped in and performed admirably in Thornton's absence.

And not only is Xavier without Thornton, but senior guard Dedrick Finn (5 points per game, 4 assists pg), who had started 53 consecutive games, was kicked off the team last week.

On the season, the Musketeers are 10-12 against the spread; 9-11 ats as chalk, 3-8 ats at home and 6-8 ats in the A-10.

St. Joe's is ranked 56th in the latest CBS SportsLine.com RPI ratings, thanks to a schedule that's included games against Kansas, Gonzaga, Ohio State, George Washington (2), Villanova, Bucknell and Penn. But the Hawks won only one of those games (vs. Kansas).

Xavier is not ranked in the top 60 in the SportsLine RPI.

St. Joseph's is 12-11 against the spread this season; 5-6 ats on the road, 6-4 ats as an underdog and 5-9 ats in conference play.

After losing three games in a row, the Hawks have won three in a row. In their last outing St. Joe's pounded Richmond 70-39 Saturday as a 13-point home favorite.

Xavier, at 8-6, is tied with Temple for fifth place in the A-10. The Hawks, at 7-7, are tied with Massachusetts and Fordham in seventh place.

The teams have split their last eight meetings. Most recently, Xavier defeated St. Joe's 62-58 in Philly in January.

The under is 13-8 in St. Joe's games this season.

The Atlantic 10 Conference tournament starts next Wednesday.

The Ultimatecapper Pick: The value in this opening spread was so good for St. Joseph's bettors that the line dropped 2 points shortly after opening. The public is nailing Xavier, the sharps are hitting St. Joseph's. This pick is a no brainer, take St. Joseph's and expect a hard fought cover and don't be surprised if they win straight up on the road.