Xavier Musketeers vs. Villanova Wildcats 3/15/19, Predictions & Odds

Xavier vs. Villanova Prediction

Which team will advance to the Big East Tournament final tonight when No. 25 Villanova takes on Xavier at 6:30PM ET in semifinal play?

Game Snapshot & Odds

831 Xavier vs. 832 Villanova

Friday, March 15, 2019

6:30PM ET – Madison Square Garden

TV: FS1

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Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Villanova is favored in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -6.5 points against Xavier. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 135 points. The public betting currently has 52 percent going on Xavier as the underdog. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.

Xavier edges Creighton

Xavier was able to edge Creighton in the quarterfinals yesterday, 63-61, as a 3-point underdog. Xavier is the 4 seed in this tournament and the Musketeers have won and covered the spread in seven of their last eight games. Xavier is 18-14 on the season, 10-9 in Big East games, 2-2 on a neutral floor, 13-17-2 against the spread and 18-13-1 with the under.

The Musketeers are a middle-of-the-road team on offense and defense. They put up 72 points per game while shooting nearly 47 percent as a team. Defensively, Xavier gives up 70.6 per contest while allowing opponents to shoot 43.4 percent. Naji Marshall is leading the team with 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while Paul Scruggs is adding 12.1 points per contest.

Nova rolls past Providence

Villanova picked up a 73-62 win over Providence in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Wildcats are the top seed in this tournament. They have won and covered the spread in three of their last four games. Nova is now 23-9 on the season, 14-5 in Big East games, 5-1 on a neutral floor, 20-12 against the spread and 19-10-2 with the under.

Nova is putting up 74.6 points per game this season while shooting 44.1 percent as a team. Defensively, the Wildcats are allowing 66.9 points per game while opponents shoot 43.5 percent against them. Phil Booth is leading the team with 18.4 points per game while Erich Paschall is adding 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

College Basketball Betting Trends

Xavier

The Musketeers are 20-8-2 against the spread in their last 30 neutral site games and 5-1 ATS in their last six following a win.

Villanova

Nova has covered the spread in seven straight Friday games and in 11 of their last 16 Big East games.

Prediction:

The home team won each of the two meetings this season, pretty convincingly. However, Villanova has owned the series over time, winning and covering the spread in eight of their last 10 against Xavier. The Wildcats seem to have the better scoring depth and talent. Xavier is likely going to need Villanova to shoot poorly or just not show up defensively to get this game. I don’t see the Wildcats doing that, as they need a strong weekend to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding.

College Basketball Prediction: Villanova -6.5