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Posted at 2:15 PM EST.

6:30 PM EST. Badgers basketball is down after Wisconsin failed to make the NCAA’s for the first time since 1988, but it's worth noting that last year's team was quite young, which is why coach Greg Gard was able to return all five starters and his primary seven-man rotation from 2017-18. Senior forward Ethan Happ will be called upon to be the man again this season after he led the Badgers in points (17.9), rebounds (8.0), assists (3.7), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.1). There aren't many players in the country that top their teams in all of those categories and Happ picked up right where he left off last season after going for a triple-double in just 27 minutes of action in Wisconsin's 85-63 win over Coppin State. It's a win that isn't going to carry much weight in the market, but that's just fine, as the Badgers are a great buy-low candidate here in the early going.

The Musketeers have become well known in the market after a run of five straight NCAA Tournament appearances including an Elite Eight showing in 2017, but this season's squad has a much different look than the one that took the floor last season. That Xavier is a dog at home may also turn some heads, but it lost over 2/3s of it scoring from 2017-18. Despite the turnover, the Musketeers were able to start this campaign with a pair of victories, but first-year head coach Travis Steele has not been impressed with his team, “I was disappointed on the defensive end, we've gotta be a heck of a lot better especially with the schedule we've got coming up." Steele took the top job after being the "good cop" as an assistant for nearly a decade, but the move to the top spot isn't always an easy one when a coach gets promoted from within. The Musketeers were a #1 seed in the Tournament last season and expectations are obviously high in Cincinnati, but that success last year has their value inflated here in the early going. The Musketeers will take a big step up in competition tonight, but this play has much less to do with the Badgers (although they are the perfect foil) than it does fading Xavier in a very tough spot here. The Musketeers not only play #12 Auburn next, but that game takes place at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. That once in a lifetime trip provides us with an excellent opportunity to catch this new look Xavier side with one foot out the door.

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