The lone college basketball game between two ranked teams will feature the No. 14 Villanova Wildcats heading on the road for a matchup with the No. 17 Xavier Musketeers on Wednesday night.
Villanova (11-4, 4-1 Big East) will go for their fifth consecutive victory, and they are coming off a 15-point road win over the DePaul Blue Demons on Wednesday night. The Wildcats have three players scoring at least nine points per game this season, and they are led by Collin Gillespie, who is putting up 16.9 points per game, just ahead of Justin Moore’s average of 15.7.
Xavier (12-2, 2-1 Big East) returned to the floor earlier this week from a COVID-19 pause that lasted more than two weeks The Musketeers played well in their first game back in a 17-point road victory over the Butler Bulldogs on Friday. Xavier also has five players putting up more than nine points per game. Seven-footer Jack Nunge is averaging 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
How to watch Villanova vs. Xavier
When: Wednesday, January 12th, 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH
TV: FS1
Where to live stream online: FOX Sports App
Live updates and stats: At DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds
Spread: Villanova -1
Total: 140.5
The Pick
Villanova -1
There is a lot to like about the Wildcats in this spot. Villanova has the advantage of rest with a couple additional days off more than Xavier. Villanova dominated their last two matchups, and they beat Xavier by 13 points earlier this season. Let’s go with the Wildcats to cover this number against a team still battling back from a COVID pause.
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