— Tuesday, December 21st Xavier Musketeers @ Villanova Wildcats
While some of the Big East games this week were canceled due to COVID outbreaks, the conference gets a top-25 matchup on Tuesday night. The surging No. 18 Xavier Musketeers (11-1, 1-0) go on the road to face the slumping No. 23 Villanova Wildcats (7-4, 0-1). Tipoff at the Finneran Pavilion in Philadelphia is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game will air on FS1.
Villanova has dominated this series with a 28-6 all-time record against Xavier. The teams did not meet last year with the COVID scheduling as their January game was postponed. Villanova won both meetings in the 2019-20 season, and Xavier’s last win came in February of 2019.
Xavier’s Balanced Attack Gets It Done
Xavier is 9-3 ATS this season, and the under is 6-5-1 in their 12 games. They are 9-0 at home, 1-0 in true road games, and 1-1 in neutral site games. They are averaging 77.1 points per game and shooting 34.5 percent from deep while allowing just 61.3 ppg and they rank 21st in the nation in field goal percentage defense.
Xavier boasts wins over Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and Marquette on the season, while their only loss came in the NIT Tip-Off against Iowa State in Brooklyn. They have won five in a row and jumped up into the top 20 after a nine-point home win over Marquette on Saturday.
Dwon Odom led the way in that game with a career-high 19 points off the bench. Nate Johnson had 17 on 4-of-7 3-point shooting, and Jack Nunge added 13.
Johnson leads the team on the season at 13.3 ppg while Nunge scores 13.0 and grabs 7.8 rpg. Colby Jones leads Xavier at 8.3 rpg and also scores 12.4 ppg. Paul Scruggs is the fourth player in double digits at 10.8 ppg.
In their five-game winning streak, the Musketeers have not allowed more than 71 points in any game. Iowa State is the only team to score more than 71 on Xavier all season as they won 82-70.
Villanova Needs a Bounce Back
Villanova has played eight of their 11 games this season away from home and haven’t played at home since December 4. They are 5-6 ATS, and the under is 6-5 in their 11 games, while the Wildcats are 3-0 at home. Nova shoots just 41.1 percent from the field, but they shoot 36.2 percent from deep while outscoring opponents 72.6 to 63.1.
This will already be the fifth game for Villanova against a ranked team, and they have struggled against the good teams, going 1-3. The Wildcats started the season ranked No. 4 before an overtime loss to UCLA, and they also lost by six to Purdue. Villanova beat Tennessee and lost to Baylor by 21.
Villanova has scored 39 and 59 points in their last two games, losing by a combined 41 points. They tallied just four assists at Creighton on Saturday as Collin Gillespie led the team with 16 points. In those two losses, they made just 10-of-50 from the 3-point range.
Gillespie leads the way at 16.2 ppg on the season while guard Justin Moore averages 14.7. Forwards Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels are both scoring 11 ppg while Samuels leads the team at 6.4 RPG.
Betting Analysis
- Xavier Musketeers +5 (-115)
- Villanova Wildcats -5 (-105)
- Total Points: 138. Over -110. Under -110
The Wildcats are a different team at home, averaging over 90 ppg in their three home wins this season, and they are borderline desperate for a win.
They also have the seventh-least amount of turnovers in the nation this season at 8.8 per game and won’t make things easy on Xavier.
For the Musketeers, this is their first true road test of the season, and they will need a flawless performance.
Betting Pick: Villanova -5 (-105)
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