Villanova Wildcats vs Xavier Musketeers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Villanova vs Xavier NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Cincinnati.

Villanova vs Xavier Prediction

Planning on watching today's Wildcats and Musketeers game? Catch the action at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH, as the Musketeers hosts this showdown at 6:30 ET on FS1. The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 147.5 points, and Xavier is favored by -2.5 to win at home against Villanova.

Villanova vs. Xavier Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Villanova Wildcats at Xavier Musketeers
Where: Cincinnati at Cintas Center
Date: Tuesday, January 14th
Betting Odds XAV -2.5, VILL +128 | XAV -157 O/U 147.5

Wildcats Preview: Does Villanova Stand a Chance on the Road?

Villanova’s season record dropped to 11-6 after an 80-68 loss to St. John’s on Saturday, January 11th. The Wildcats entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 148, just over the pre-game O/U line of 145.5.

Villanova trailed 36-31 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap in the 2nd half, where they were outscored 44-37.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Villanova's offense put up 68 points in their last game, shooting 39.3% from the field and 38.5% from three-point range, hitting 10 of 26 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 48.2%, and they connected on 82.4% of their free throws, going 14 for 17 from the line.

RJ Luis Jr. led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 40% overall. Wooga Poplar added 22 points, hitting 53.8% of his shots. Eric Dixon contributed 18 points, making 4 of 9 threes, while Jhamir Brickus and Deivon Smith both shot 60% from beyond the arc.

Wildcats Team Defense

Villanova's defense gave up 80 points, allowing their opponent to shoot 40% from the field. They managed to limit two-point shooting to 48% (15/31).

From beyond the arc, Villanova held their opponent to 29% shooting (7/24). However, they sent them to the free-throw line 39 times, where they converted 74% of their attempts. Villanova also gave up 17 offensive rebounds.

Musketeers Preview: Does Xavier Have What it Takes at Home?

Xavier Musketeers Recent Game/Games

Xavier improved to 10-7 on the season with a 77-63 road win over DePaul on Saturday. The Musketeers entered the game as 5-point favorites and covered the spread, though the total points of 140 fell short of the 150.5 O/U line.

After building a 38-23 lead at halftime, Xavier allowed 40 points in the 2nd half while scoring 39 of their own. Despite the defensive lapse, they held on for the win.

Musketeers Offense Breakdown

Xavier put up 77 points in their latest game, shooting 48.1% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc, with an effective field goal percentage of 55.6%. They connected on 16 of 20 free throws, hitting 80% from the line, and grabbed 7 offensive rebounds while dishing out 15 assists.

Zach Freemantle led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 53.3% overall and hitting both of his three-point attempts. Ryan Conwell added 19 points and 4 assists, while CJ Gunn contributed 16 points and 7 rebounds, knocking down 3 of 7 from deep.

Musketeers Team Defense

Defensively, Xavier held their opponent to 63 points on 39% shooting from the field. They allowed 21 made field goals on 53 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Xavier's defense gave up 10 threes on 31 attempts, a 32% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 15 times, where they made 11 free throws.

Wildcats vs Musketeers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three games away from home, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 73 points per game in this stretch.
In their last three home games, Xavier has averaged 76 points per game while allowing 75. The team's record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
Looking back on the team's last five games as the underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Musketeers have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 10-0.