Xavier Hosts Villanova in Weekend Clash

Big East Titans Clash

The 3rd-ranked Villanova Wildcats and the 4th-ranked Xavier Musketeers square off on Saturday at Cintas Center. Tip-off is set for 4:30 pm EST and FOX will broadcast the matchup nationally.

It's been a historic season for Xavier. The Musketeers try to nail down their first Big East Conference title. That could lead to a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Villanova could be standing firmly in the way.

Oddsmakers opened the Wildcats as -1-point favorites versus the Musketeers, while the game's total opened at 165.5. The line has held steady, but the total is down to 164.

Xavier holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the defending national champions. Nova' has dominated the current version of the Big East since it formed 2013.

The Musketeers have had little luck against head coach Jay Wright's Wildcats. They have lost nine of 10 meetings, including three during the 2014-15 season.

Villanova easily dispatched Xavier in the first meeting this season. It was an 89-65 butt-kicking at the Wells Fargo Center back on Jan. 10. Wildcats guard Phil Booth scored a game-high 21 points. He will not play Saturday because of a bone fracture.

Xavier is the Real Deal

Xavier was a 102-90 winner in its last match at home against the Seton Hall Pirates. They covered the -6.5-point spread as favorites.

Xavier has already put the NCAA selection committee on notice. They have an impressive body of work. A victory Saturday over one of the nation's best teams would be another milestone in an already historic season.

Villanova Struggling as it Travels to Xavier

Villanova was a 76-71 loser in its last match on the road against the Providence Friars. They failed to cover the -9.5-point spread as favorites.

Villanova has dropped two of its last three games. That includes the stunning loss at Providence. Nova' had a season-high 19 turnovers, with 13 of them coming in the second half.

Bouncing back from a loss has been a hallmark for the Wildcats, who haven't lost consecutive games since the 2012-13 season.

A victory Saturday is crucial for both teams. Xavier would have a 2 1/2-game lead with three to play. They would have a favorable schedule with games at Georgetown, Providence, and at DePaul.

If the Wildcats were to knock off the Musketeers things could get dicey.  If they run the table against DePaul, Creighton, Seton Hall and Georgetown, they could finish tied with Xavier and earn the title based on a season sweep.

 

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Villanova	23-3	16-9-1	87.15	70.58	16.57	7-4	5-4	17-9	9-2	4-5
Xavier	24-3	19-8	85.33	74.63	10.7	11-5	7-2	15-12	10-6	4-5

Power Stats

Assists Turnovers
Name	Assists	Turnovers	Ratio
VILLA	16.46	10.42	1.58
XAVIR	16.89	12.48	1.35

Rebounding
Name	Offense	Defense	Total
VILLA	9.62	25.77	35.39
XAVIR	9.56	28.89	38.45

ShootingPercentage
Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VILLA	50.60	43.44	7.16
XAVIR	49.94	42.36	7.58

Team Records

Villanova Wildcats

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	23-3	14-1	9-2	16-9-1	10-5	6-4-1	87.15	70.58	16.57
Last 10	8-2	4-1	4-1	6-4	4-1	2-3	84.30	72.30	12.00
vs Conf	10-3	6-1	4-2	7-6	5-2	2-4	88.23	77.15	11.08

Xavier Musketeers

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	24-3	17-0	7-3	19-8	12-5	7-3	85.33	74.63	10.70
Last 10	9-1	5-0	4-1	7-3	3-2	4-1	84.80	78.80	6.00
vs Conf	12-2	7-0	5-2	9-5	4-3	5-2	83.86	79.07	4.79

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	87.15	3	74.63	190
Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense	85.36	2	71.94	188
Away Team Road Rebounds vs Home Team Home Rebounds Allowed	35.00	109	32.53	91
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	85.33	9	70.58	108
Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense	89.24	8	70.27	53
Home Team Home Rebounds vs Away Team Road Rebounds Allowed	40.12	30	33.73	69

Head To Head Summary

Team	record	ATS	O/U	AVG	AVG ½	FG%	REB	3PT	steals
Villanova	9-1	9-1	5-5	81.20	37.50	50.35	32.50	111/271	6.50
Xavier	1-9	1-9	5-5	65.10	29.50	40.31	34.00	58/208	4.20

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	away score	Home	home score	line	ATS	Total	O/U	FG% Edge	Reb Edge	3PT Edge	Away Half Score	Home Half Score	Away FG%	Home FG%	Away Rebounds	Home Rebounds	Away Three Pointers	Home Three Pointers	Away Steals	Home Steals
Jan 10, 2018	XAVIR	65	VILLA	89	-9.5	VILLA	165	U	VILLA	XAVIR	VILLA	28	40	41.4	55.2	34	31	3/17	12/31	5	10
Feb 11, 2017	VILLA	73	XAVIR	57	5.5	VILLA	144	U	VILLA	XAVIR	VILLA	35	23	51.9	35	26	42	9/24	6/21	8	3
Jan 10, 2017	XAVIR	54	VILLA	79	-8	VILLA	145	U	VILLA	XAVIR	VILLA	28	34	29.3	53.8	34	33	6/32	8/24	2	7
Feb 24, 2016	VILLA	83	XAVIR	90	1	XAVIR	145.5	O	XAVIR	XAVIR	VILLA	37	40	44.8	50	33	42	12/31	7/18	5	6
Dec 31, 2015	XAVIR	64	VILLA	95	-6.5	VILLA	143	O	VILLA	XAVIR	VILLA	30	48	39.2	63.2	31	26	6/19	13/25	3	9
Mar 14, 2015	XAVIR	52	VILLA	69	-7.5	VILLA	140	U	VILLA	VILLA	VILLA	21	34	37.9	50	29	35	2/15	9/23	5	6
Feb 28, 2015	VILLA	78	XAVIR	66	2	VILLA	142	O	XAVIR	VILLA	VILLA	33	40	44.3	46.2	33	31	13/29	8/22	6	6
Jan 14, 2015	XAVIR	75	VILLA	88	-10	VILLA	143	O	XAVIR	VILLA	VILLA	27	45	47.6	45.9	33	34	7/22	15/34	3	3
Mar 6, 2014	VILLA	77	XAVIR	70	3.5	VILLA	137.5	O	VILLA	VILLA	VILLA	41	36	46.9	38.3	38	30	9/22	6/24	5	5
Feb 3, 2014	XAVIR	58	VILLA	81	-9	VILLA	147.5	U	VILLA	VILLA	VILLA	22	28	37.7	49.2	34	36	7/18	11/28	4	6

College Basketball Betting Trends

Villanova Wildcats
Villanova is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Villanova is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Villanova's last 7 games
Villanova is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Villanova is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Villanova's last 5 games on the road
Villanova is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Xavier
Villanova is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Xavier
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Villanova's last 6 games when playing Xavier

Xavier Musketeers
Xavier is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Xavier is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Xavier is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games at home
Xavier is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Xavier's last 6 games at home
Xavier is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Villanova
Xavier is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing Villanova
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Xavier's last 6 games when playing Villanova

Team Last 5 Games

Villanova Wildcats

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Feb 14, 2018	PROV	71-76	L	-9.5	152.5	L/U	50.00	72.73	3	A
Feb 10, 2018	BUTLR	86-75	W	-9.5	157.5	W/O	50.85	86.96	6	H
Feb 7, 2018	STJON	75-79	L	-16	151	L/O	41.79	91.67	8	H
Feb 4, 2018	SETON	92-76	W	-12.5	156	W/O	50.79	64.00	12	H
Feb 1, 2018	CREIG	98-78	W	-13.5	162	W/O	54.41	83.33	19	H

Xavier Musketeers

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Feb 14, 2018	SETON	102-90	W	-6.5	159	W/O	53.57	80.00	14	H
Feb 10, 2018	CREIG	72-71	W	2.5	162	W/U	46.27	77.78	3	A
Feb 6, 2018	BUTLR	98-93	W	4.5	154.5	W/O	59.26	85.71	10	A
Feb 3, 2018	GTOWN	96-91	W	-14	155.5	L/O	43.55	75.61	11	H
Jan 30, 2018	STJON	73-68	W	-4	149	W/U	46.15	77.27	8	A

Next up:
Villanova home to DePaul Wednesday, February 21
Xavier at Georgetown University Wednesday, February 21

 

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