UConn Huskies vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 12/31/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UConn Huskies vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: Youtube TV

The UConn Huskies (13-0) are traveling to Cintas Center on Saturday where they will meet the Xavier Musketeers (10-3).

The UConn Huskies played Georgetown and took home the win by a score of 84-73 in their last game. UConn walked away from the contest having earned a 49.2% FG percentage (30 out of 61) and made 11 out of their 30 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Huskies made 13 of their 15 tries for a rate of 86.7%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they earned 26 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 24 dimes in this matchup while creating 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When talking about defending, UConn allowed the other team to shoot 45.8% from the floor on 27 out of 59 shooting. Georgetown distributed 6 dimes and had 2 steals for this contest. On top of that, Georgetown snagged 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Georgetown finished shooting 69.6% from the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 23 shots. They knocked down 3 of their 11 shots from distance. When it comes to personal fouls, the Huskies ended up walking away with 16 while Georgetown recorded 16 personal fouls.

Tristen Newton is one guy who had an impact in the game. He finished with 17 points on 4 out of 6 shooting. He saw the court for 27 minutes played and also totaled 2 boards. He finished the game shooting 66.7% from the field and totaled 7 dimes.

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UConn heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 13-0 on the year. They have an average of 83.6 pts per game (18th in the nation) on 48.6% from the field. The Huskies are hitting 37.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (126 of 338) and 74.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, UConn is snagging 39.8 rebounds per contest and has tallied 251 assists on the season, which has them ranked 7th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.5 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.2 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Huskies are forcing their opponents into 16.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.5 fouls. They are currently ranked 3rd in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 94 surrendered so far this year. The Huskies defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 38.1% (262 of 688) and they concede 29.7 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are surrendering 27.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 12th in college hoops in PPG allowed (58.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Xavier Musketeers went home victorious with a score of 73-70 when they played Seton Hall. When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Xavier permitted Seton Hall to pull down 31 in total (9 on the offensive glass). They shot 23.5% from 3-point land by going 4 out of 17 and finished the contest at 14 out of 23 from the charity stripe (60.9%). The Musketeers allowed Seton Hall to make 26 of their 57 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6% for this contest. Overall, the Musketeers went 26 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.8%. When talking about 3-point attempts, Xavier converted 5 out of their 20 attempts (25.0%). They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 72.7%. Seton Hall had 23 personal fouls for this contest which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while getting 4 steals for the game. The Musketeers collected 28 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 38 for this game.

Zach Freemantle was important for the Musketeers for this contest. He converted 10 of 16 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and earned 9 rebounds. He racked up 23 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in this contest.

Xavier has a mark of 10-3 on the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Musketeers are connecting on 51.1% from the field, which is ranked 5th in the nation. Xavier has tallied 1,090 pts for the campaign (83.8 per contest) and they average 37.3 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 21.2 times per game (1st in college hoops) and they cough up possession 14.1 times per contest. The Musketeers have committed 17.5 fouls per contest and they go 71.7% from the charity stripe.

The Xavier defense gives up 36.9% on shots from distance (93 of 252) and their opponents are making 68.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 14.5 dimes and 31.2 boards every game, which is ranked 301st and 41st in Division 1. The Musketeers are ranked 300th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 73.6. They are forcing their opponents into 13.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the field (259th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Xavier

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