Xavier vs Providence Prediction 2/12/25 College Basketball Picks

The Xavier Musketeers and the Providence Friars meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Here’s a Xavier vs Providence prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Xavier vs Providence pick. We will examine: 

The Xavier Musketeers’ recent form and player performance

The Providence Friars’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Xavier Musketeers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Providence Friars

Recent betting trends in games played between Xavier and Providence

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Xavier vs Providence game

Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview

Xavier has had a couple of good runs in the record column this year, but overall it’s been a bumpy ride. The Musketeers beat Texas Southern, IUPUI, Jackson State, Wake Forest, Siena, and South Carolina in their first six games, then hit a 3-7 run over the next 10 games with wins over only South Carolina State, Morgan State, and Seton Hall. Otherwise, it was losses to Michigan, TCU, Cincinnati, UConn, Marquette, Georgetown, and St. John’s at that time. Since then Xavier is 5-3 with losses to St. John’s, Creighton, and Villanova. The wins came versus DePaul, Villanova, Marquette, UConn, and Georgetown. That gives the Musketeers a 14-10 overall record through their first 24 games of the 2024-25 campaign. 

In the Sunday matchup with Villanova, Xavier held strong in the first half with a 33-33 tie. The Musketeers were outpaced 47-35 the rest of the way however, resulting in an 80-68 defeat in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Dante Maddox, who came off the bench for 24 points, five boards, and three assists. Zach Freemantle added 18 points with five boards, and Marcus Foster also reached double-figures on 10 points with six rebounds. 

Providence Friars Betting Preview

Over on the Providence side, they’ve had a choppy year as well and haven’t been able to stay above the .500 mark thus far. The Friars won their first five straight games, then hit a losing streak versus Oklahoma, Davidson, and Indiana. Wins over BYU and DePaul came around a loss to Rhode Island in the next three games, then losses to St. Bonaventure, St. John’s, Marquette, and UConn. Providence went 4-2 in their next six with wins over Butler, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Seton Hall again among losses to Creighton and Villanova. Since then it’s been three losses to St. John’s, Creighton, and Butler, giving the Friars an 11-13 overall record through their first 24 games so far this season. 

Matched up against Butler in Saturday’s road outing, the Friars were down by two points in the locker room. Providence gained a little ground in the second but ended up losing a tough one 82-81 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Bensley Joseph with 26 points, two steals, one rebound, and one assist. Rich Barron added 23 points with two rebounds and two steals, while Corey Floyd had 17 points with six assists and four rebounds. 

Why the Providence Friars will win

• Providence has won 53 of its last 60 games at Amica Mutual Pavilion against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Xavier has lost each of its last five road night games against Conference opponents.

Why the Xavier Musketeers will win

• Providence has lost four of its last five night games against Conference opponents at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
• Xavier has won three of its last four games against Providence.
• Providence has lost the first half in each of its last three games against Conference opponents.

Xavier vs Providence Prediction 

I’ll lean toward Providence. I’m probably not touching this one, however, as both teams are struggling these days. The Friars are coming off a tough road loss to Butler, despite shooting 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range (16-of-32). The 34-24 rebounding deficit really threw a wrench into Providence’s chances, as did the 50 percent shooting allowed. The Friars are riding a three-game losing streak right now, but they’ve been within two points in two of those games (one coming on the road versus a very good St. John’s team). 

As for Xavier, they’ve been scoring well lately with 68 or more points in five straight games. The trouble is, the Musketeers are also giving up quite a bit of scoring to good offenses, so Providence should be able to notch a decent total in this one.