The No. 12 Xavier Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) battle the No. 20 UConn Huskies (16-5, 5-5) on Wednesday. Tip from Gampel Pavilion is set for 6:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Xavier vs. UConn odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Musketeers beat Georgetown 95-82 Saturday but failed to cover as 17-point home favorites. They have now failed to cover in back-to-back games, but are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in their previous 7 and 11-8-1 ATS on the season. Xavier excels offensively, ranking 8th in points per game (84.1), 6th in field-goal percentage (50.12%) and 5th in 3-point field-goal percentage (39.73%).
UConn throttled Butler 86-56 on Sunday, covering as 15.5-point home favorites. It is 2-3 ATS in its last 5 games and only 3-7 ATS in its last 10, falling to 13-7-1 ATS this season. The Huskies’ strength lies in their defense, where they rank 6th in the nation for opponent 3-point percentage (26.9%).
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Xavier at UConn odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Xavier +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | UConn -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Xavier +6.5 (-110) | UConn -6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 153.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Xavier at UConn picks and predictions
Prediction
UConn 81, Xavier 77
Moneyline
PASS.
There is no value on a UConn (-300) moneyline play here.
Against the spread
LEAN XAVIER +6.5 (-110).
Xavier has been a moneymaker at 11-8-1 ATS this season. It has only been an underdog twice in the last 10 games, including 3-point home underdogs to UConn, and it covered the spread in both of those games.
The Musketeers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 against a team with a winning percentage of above .600. They tend to step up in big games and this road top-25 matchup should be no different.
Over/Under
BET OVER 153.5 (-110).
Xavier’s Over/Under record this season is 14-5-1 and UConn’s is 13-8. Both of these teams are capable of scoring a lot of points.
The Over is 4-1 in the Musketeers’ last 5 games against a team with a winning record and the Over is 4-0 in the Huskies’ last 4 games following a win.
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