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Villanova vs. Xavier Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 7 (Lay The Points with Home Favorite)

By Reed Wallach

Xavier Musketeers forward Abou Ousmane (24) reacts after fouling out in the second half of a college
Xavier Musketeers forward Abou Ousmane (24) reacts after fouling out in the second half of a college / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
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Xavier and Villanova are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and every win matters to teams trying to play themselves into the field.

The Musketeers have been playing far better basketball since the team lost at Villanova on January 3rd by one point, will that lead to success at home and a massive Big East victory? I'm here to share my favorite bet for this Wednesday night showdown.

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Villanova vs. Xavier Odds, Spread and Total

Xavier vs. Villanova Betting Trends

  • Xavier is 14-8 against the spread (ATS) this season
  • Xavier is 8-5 ATS at home this season
  • Villanova is 11-11 ATS this season
  • Xavier has gone OVER in eight of its last 10 games

Villanova vs. Xavier How to Watch

  • Date: Tuesday, February 7th
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Cintas Center
  • How to Watch (TV): Fox Sports 1
  • Villanova Record: 12-10
  • Xavier Record: 12-10

Villanova vs. Xavier Key Players to Watch

Villanova

Eric Dixon: Dixon is a unique piece of this five-out Villanova offense, shooting 36% from beyond the arc as the team's center on about four threes per game. This is a Xavier offense that is elite defending inside, but Villanova is happy to bomb away from the perimeter, can that determine the game?

Xavier

Desmond Claude: Claude struggled in the loss to Villanova back on January 3rd, making only five of 17 shots from the floor, but he is the engine behind this emerging Musketeers offense. The sophomore has scored 15 or more in all but one game since that loss to Villanova as Xavier has scored at least 78 points in all but one game.

Villanova vs. Xavier Prediction and Pick

Last week, I played Xavier in the second matchup of the season against St. John's at The Cintas Center. Well, I'm firing on a similar thesis on Wednesday with the Musketeers looking to even the series with Villanova, who escaped the first meeting with a one-point win.

Since then, the Wildcats have dropped six of eight games, including three road games with two by double digits. However, advanced metric websites like KenPom (39th) look at the five-out offense of Kyle Neptune's bunch favorably. However, this is a poor matchup for the visitors on Wednesday night with Xavier's ability to run teams off the three-point line (90th in opponent three-point rate) and speed up the game.

While Villanova looks to slow the game down and shut off transition offense, the team can be had in the open court. ShotQuality grades the Villanova defense as 290th in points allowed per possession in transition, which can give Xavier plenty of opportunities to push, a team that is fourth in transition rate.

Even amidst a poor run of form in Big East play, Villanova is allowing teams to shoot only 29% from beyond the arc. There is more room for this team to falter. I'll take the home favorite to pull away and even the season series with Villanova.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!

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