The Jackson State Tigers and the Xavier Musketeers meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Cintas Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Xavier vs. Jackson State prediction.

Jackson State Summary

The Jackson State Tigers come into this game looking to bounce back from an 80-71 loss to High Point last time out. After this game, Jackson State continues on the road for a game against Vanderbilt.

Tigers looking for first win

Romelle Mansel has a team-high 14.5 PPG and 5 RPG to lead the Tigers in scoring and rebounding as the only double-digit scorer for Jackson State so far this season. Jayme Mitchell Jr. has 9.5 PPG, while Jalen Tatum has 7 PPG and a team-high 2.5 APG this year and leads the Tigers in assists. Dorian McMillian also has 8.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG this year. As a team, Jackson State is averaging 55.5 PPG on 35.6% shooting from the field, 25.6% from three and 68.3% from the foul line.

Why the Jackson State Tigers will win

• Jackson State has won each of its last six night games against opponents not ranked in the AP.
• Xavier has lost four of its last five games while playing with a halftime advantage.

Xavier Summary

The Xavier Musketeers come into this looking to build on their 2-0 start after a 94-80 win over IU Indy last time out. After this game, Xavier welcomes Wake Forest to town.

Musketeers win consecutive games

Ryan Conwell leads the Musketeers in scoring with 20 PPG, while Zach Freemantle has 18 PPG with a team-high RPG of 8.5 to lead Xavier on the glass and Dayvion McKnight also has 18 PPG with a team-high 5 APG to lead the Musketeers in the assist department this season. Dailyn Swain added 10 PPG with 5 RPG and 3.5 APG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Xavier so far this season. As a team, Xavier is averaging 86 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 39% from three and 82.5% from the foul line this season.

Why the Xavier Musketeers will win

• Jackson State has lost 20 of its last 21 Tuesday night road games against non-conference opponents.
• Xavier has won 44 of its last 48 games against non-conference opponents at Cintas Center.

Xavier State vs. Jackson Prediction

I’m following Xavier here. I understand that a case has to be made for an underdog like Jackson State, as the Musketeers haven’t necessarily blown anyone away with their play thus far, but they are still the better team with a lot more scoring depth here, and Jackson State got crushed by Houston in their season opener by 57 points. I have Xavier somewhere between Houston and High Point and while this is a bit of a stretch, it’s still a song I can see Xavier covering. Give me the Musketeers.