Xavier vs Providence Prediction - Basketball Picks 3/1/23

Providence Friars (21-8) vs Xavier Musketeers (21-8)

Game Info: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 6:30 pm (Amica Mutual Pavilion)

Betting Odds: Providence Friars -2.5 -- Over/Under: 157 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The Xavier Musketeers and Providence Friars face off on Wednesday in a college basketball showdown at the Dunkin Donuts Center. When these two teams faced off on February 1st it was Xavier that secured the 85-83 victory.

Xavier Betting Preview

Xavier comes into this game with a 21-8 record overall and they have gone 16-12-1 against the spread. In the last game against Seton Hall, Xavier scored 82 points and that was enough to secure the two point victory. Two games ago against Villanova, they were defeated 64-63 victory. Xavier is averaging 81.9 points while their defense is giving up 74.3 points per game. The offense is ranked 12th in the league while the defense is ranked 297th in the league. Souley Boum is averaging 16.5 points while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from behind the three point line. Zach Freemantle is dealing with a foot injury and he will still be out for this game.

Providence Betting Preview

On the other side of this matchup is Providence who sits with a 21-8 record and they have gone 18-11 against the spread. In the last game against Georgetown, Providence scored 88 points and that led to the 20 point victory. Ed Crosswell had a strong game finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Providence is averaging 78.8 points while their defense is giving up 70.1 points per game. The offense is ranked 29th in the league while the defense is ranked 192nd. Bryce Hopkins is averaging 16.4 points while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from behind the three point line.

Xavier vs Providence Trends

Providence is 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 home games. The under is 6-in Xavier’s last six games following an against the spread win. The over is 4-0 in Providence’s last four games. The under is 4-1 in Xavier’s last five games overall.

Shane’s Free Pick

Providence is averaging 78.8 points per game and they are going to have no issue running up the score again in this game. Xavier two games ago really struggled, and not having Freemantle is going to really hurt them in this game. The lack of scoring by Xavier will be the difference here as Providence gets the job done.