Villanova Wildcats at Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview

The No. 12 Villanova Wildcats will try to keep their Big East title hopes alive when they pay a visit to the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday afternoon. On the road, the Wildcats are one-point favorites with an over/under of 136 points.
Xavier endured a rough stretch early in the conference season, but the Musketeers have won four of their last five games to get back on track. Despite being 6-7 inside the Big East, Xavier is 17-9 overall and would be a safe bet to receive an at-large bid if the NCAA Tournament started today.
Of course, one more win over a ranked team would help them solidify their spot.
As for the Wildcats, they’ve put a recent three-game losing streak in the rearview mirror with a three-game winning streak. Villanova dominated last-place DePaul 91-71 midweek to reach 20-6 overall and 9-4 in conference play.
They are now just 1.5 games behind Seton Hall at the top of the conference, giving them a chance to win the Big East regular-season title if they can keep winning.
More Than Two
Nobody denies that Villanova has two of the best players in the Big East in Collin Gillespie and Saddiq Bey. Both average better than 15 points per game, in part because they can both light it up from beyond the arc.
In addition to their scoring, Bey is one of the team’s best rebounders, while Gillespie plays a key role in getting everyone else involved, averaging 4.5 assists per game.
However, going on the road and beating tournament-quality teams usually requires contributions from more than two players. The good news for the Wildcats is that they have three other players who average over 10 points per game.
However, that trio of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels is still a little inconsistent from one game to the next. If one or two of them give Villanova something substantial, the Wildcats are usually in good shape.
But it more than one of them has an off day, Villanova can be vulnerable with Bey and Gillespie being forced to carry the team.
Big and Strong
Xavier’s biggest strength might be their inside game, especially senior forward Tyrique Jones. He’s averaging a double-double on the season with nearly 14 points and over 11 rebounds per game.
Jones is also a little more skilled than most players his size. He’s more than capable of taking advantage of teams that won’t have a lot of size or strength inside and is coming off a game in which he had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
However, the Musketeers don’t necessarily have a strong outside game to complement their inside presence. Leading scorer Naji Marshall scores over 16 points per game but shoots less than 30% from the perimeter.
Meanwhile, junior guard Paul Scruggs is Xavier’s only reliable outside shooter at 36% from three-point range. However, he’s had a habit of disappearing in big games, scoring just three points in a recent loss to Butler and managing just seven points in a loss to Seton Hall earlier this month.
Let It Ride
The Wildcats have hit their stride after a rough patch, so their confidence will be high. Xavier will make them work but won’t have enough to get the win. Bet on Villanova covering the one-point spread on Saturday.