Xavier (12-8) vs UConn (14-5)
January 25, 2025 at 08:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Xavier -1.5 — Over/Under: 145.5
The UConn Huskies and the Xavier Musketeers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Cintas Center. Here’s a UConn vs Xavier prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UConn vs Xavier pick. We will examine:
The UConn Huskies’ recent form and player performance
The Xavier Musketeers’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UConn Huskies
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Xavier Musketeers
Recent betting trends in games played between UConn and Xavier
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the UConn vs Xavier game
UConn Huskies Betting Preview
The Huskies have had a strange season so far. Outside of a three-game losing streak in November and a middling run recently, however, UConn is spotless on the year. After their 4-0 opening stretch, the Huskies rattled off losses to Memphis, Colorado, and Dayton on neutral courts. UConn would recover with wins over MD Eastern Shore, Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler, DePaul, and Providence, however. Since then it’s been a spotty 2-2 stretch for the Huskies. The wins in that time have come courtesy of Georgetown and Butler. Otherwise, it’s been losses to Villanova and Creighton in that time for a 14-5 overall run so far.
Matched up against Butler on Tuesday, the Huskies kicked off the game with a 39-31 advantage. UConn lost the handle in the second half though, and eventually needed overtime for an 80-78 win in dramatic fashion. Leading the way in scoring was Solo Ball with 23 points, six rebounds, and one turnover in 41 minutes. Alex Karaban had a nice outing as well with 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Samson Johnson chipped in 14 points and five boards as well.
Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview
Over on the Xavier side, they had a spotty stretch in November/December (and early January) but other than that they’ve been a highly consistent team in the win column. The Musketeers kicked things off with a six-game win streak, then hit a rough 3-7 stretch. The losses in that time came versus Michigan, TCU, Cincinnati, UConn, Marquette, Georgetown, and St. Johns with wins otherwise versus South Carolina State, Morgan State, and Seton Hall. After wins over DePaul, Villanova, and Marquette in the next trio, the Musketeers took another loss to St. John’s. The result so far has been a 12-8 overall record through the first 20 games this year.
In the St. John’s matchup on Wednesday, the Musketeers kicked off the game with a 40-30 advantage. Xavier was outscored 35-25 the rest of the way, however, and eventually lost 79-71 in overtime for a tough result. Leading the way in the losing effort was Ryan Conwell with 21 points, three rebounds, and two steals in 40 minutes on the floor. Dailyn Swain added 16 points with five rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes of action as well.
Why the Xavier Musketeers will win
- Xavier has won seven of its last eight night games at Cintas Center.
Why the Connecticut Huskies will win
- Connecticut has won each of its last 10 Saturday night games against the Big East Conference.
- Xavier has lost 15 of its last 16 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Connecticut has won the first half in 15 of its last 18 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
UConn vs Xavier Prediction
I’m going to stay with UConn. You could make a case either way, though; this should be another good matchup. The Huskies are coming off a tight win over Butler, shooting a nice 47.8 percent from the field with 38 rebounds and 20 team assists. UConn has been pretty spotty as of late, however, and they’ve got fewer than 69 points in each of their last three non-overtime finishes (a 1-2 stretch).
The last time these teams met up back on December 18, UConn pulled off a 94-89 overtime win at home. The Musketeers shot great in that one (50 percent) and pushed the Huskies to the limit in spite of a 35-27 rebounding deficit and 10 turnovers for 16 UConn points. I like this one to be close as well (and maybe another OT finish), with UConn eking it out. Should be a great game to sit down and watch.