Villanova vs Xavier 1/7/23 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Xavier Musketeers (12-3) vs. Villanova Wildcats (8-7)
January 7, 2023 4:30 pm EDT
The Line: Villanova Wildcats -1.5 / Xavier Musketeers +1.5; Over/Under: +149
(Get latest betting odds)
The Xavier Musketeers and the Villanova Wildcats meet in college basketball action from the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday.
The Xavier Musketeers will look to build on their current eight-game win streak after an 83-73 win over UConn last time out. Souley Boum leads the Musketeers in scoring with 16.9 PPG along with 3.9 RPG and 4.6 APG while Colby Jones has 14.3 PPG with 5.2 RPG and a team-high 5.6 APG to lead the Musketeers in the assist department this season. Jack Nunge has 15.2 PPG with 7.5 RPG while Zach Freemantle has 14.4 PPG with a team-high 7.8 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Xavier up to this point in the season. As a team, Xavier is averaging 83.8 PPG on 50.8% shooting from the field, 40.4% from three and 72.6% from the foul line this season.
The Villanova Wildcats will look to build on their 74-57 win over Georgetown last time out. Caleb Daniels leads Villanova in scoring and assists with 16.3 PPG along with 5.1 RPG and a team-high 3.3 APG while Eric Dixon has 15.6 PPG and a team-high 6.4 RPG to lead Villanova in rebounding this season. Brandon Slater has 11.6 PPG with 5.3 RPG and Cam Whitmore has 11.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG across eight games to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Villanova up to this point in the year. As a team, Villanova is averaging 70.9 PPG on 43.6% shooting from the field, 33.7% from three and 85.3% from the foul line this season.
Xavier is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games against a team with a winning record while the over is 21-7-1 in their last 29 games overall. Villanova is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 games overall.
I get the case to be made for either side in this game, but I’m going with Xavier here. There’s cause for concern for a letdown after Xavier got their biggest win of the season over UConn last time out, but I think this Xavier team is too good to let that get into their heads here. I think Xavier is flat out the better team in this game, so give me the Musketeers.
