Xavier vs. Pittsburgh 3/19/23 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The No. 11 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers will play the No. 3 seeded Xavier Musketeers on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Midwest region at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Pittsburgh defeated Iowa State in the first round 59-41. The leading scorer for Pitt was Nelly Cummings with 13 points. The Panthers held Iowa State to 23.3% shooting overall and 9.5% shooting from three-point territory. 

Blake Hinson is leading Pittsburgh in scoring with an average of 15.5 points per game and is also the leading rebounder with an average of 6.1 rebounds per game. Nelly Cummings, who led Pittsburgh in scoring versus Iowa State on Friday, is the leader in assists with an average of 4.8 assists per game. Pittsburgh has four players averaging double figures in scoring and as a team scores an average of 76.1 points per game.

The No. 3 seeded Xavier Musketeers had a tougher time in the opening round than expected but rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to win 72-67 over the No. 14 seeded Kennesaw State Owls. Xavier outscored Kennesaw State 36-24 after the break, led by Jerome Hunter with 24 points, while Souley Boum scored 17 points and Jack Nunge added 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

During the regular season Souley Boum was the leading scorer and leader in assists for Xavier with averages of 16.5 points and 4.4 assists per game, while Jack Nunge was the leading rebounder with an average of 7.8 rebounds per game. Xavier had five players average double figures in scoring during the regular season and as a team scored an average of 81.4 points per game.