NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Odds: Xavier vs. Pittsburgh

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When the Xavier Musketeers take on the Pittsburgh Panthers from the tough Big East in an East Regional semifinal tonight the team with the better performance, and not the stronger conference, should prevail.

The Musketeers reached the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2008 and are in the tournament for the eighth time in nine years.

Pitt, the region's top seed, has been hardened by the physical style it has encountered game after game. But that may not be a huge edge against a taller Xavier team, the regular-season champion in the Atlantic 10.

Fourth-seeded Xavier advanced with wins over Portland State and Wisconsin after going just 5-5 in its previous 10 games.

And now it must face a Pitt team (7-point faves) with an outstanding point guard in Levance Fields, a powerful rebounder in DeJuan Blair, and a dangerous scorer in Sam Young, who had 32 points against Oklahoma State. Get all your NCAA odds with the Bodog Sportsbook now.