Connecticut (8-3) vs Xavier (8-3)
December 18, 2024 at 07:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Connecticut -13.5 / Xavier +13.5 — Over/Under: 147.5
The Xavier Musketeers and the UConn Huskies meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the XL Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Xavier vs. UConn prediction.
Xavier Recap
The Xavier Musketeers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 68-65 loss to Cincinnati last time out. After this game, Xavier will take on Marquette at home.
Musketeers Looking For Consistency
Zach Freemantle leads the Musketeers in scoring and rebounding with 16.9 PPG and 7.7 RPG while Ryan Conwell added 16.5 PPG with 2.3 APG and Dayvion McKnight has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 4.7 APG to lead the Musketeers in assists up to this point in the year, rounding out the trio of double-digit scorers for Xavier so far this season. As a team, Xavier is averaging 79.6 PPG on 46.7% shooting from the field, 39.4% from three, and 77.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Xavier Musketeers will win
- Xavier has won six of its last eight night games.
UConn Recap
The UConn Huskies come into this game looking to keep the ball rolling after a 77-71 win over Gonzaga last time out. After this game, UConn will square off against Butler on the road.
Huskies Win 4th In A Row
Alex Karaban leads the Huskies in scoring with 15.6 PPG along with 5 RPG 3.1 APG and 1.8 BPG while Solo Ball has 12.5 PPG. Liam McNeeley also has 13.6 PPG with 6.1 RPG and Tarris Reed Jr. also has 11.1 PPG with 8 RPG to lead UConn on the glass and to cap off the scoring in double figures for UConn up to this point in the year. As a team, UConn is averaging 83.5 PPG on 50% shooting from the field, 35.4% from three, and 77.1% from the foul line this season.
Why the Connecticut Huskies will win
- Connecticut has won each of its last 14 games at XL Center.
- Xavier has lost each of its last 12 games against AP-ranked opponents.
Xavier vs. UConn Prediction
I’m on UConn here. I was trying to get there with Xavier, but it looks like UConn’s got the ship turned back around in the right direction and I think they’re going to start getting back to the UConn we’ve come to be accustomed to seeing in the last couple of years. Xavier just hasn’t been consistent enough to trust in a spot like this and I think the Huskies come out with some purpose here. Give me UConn laying the points.