Xavier Musketeers vs Connecticut Huskies Prediction, 2/19/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs Connecticut Huskies

Date: Saturday, February 19, 2022

Location: Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT

TV: FOX

The Connecticut Huskies (18-7) are hosting the Xavier Musketeers (17-8) at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday.

The Xavier Musketeers faced off with St. John's and went home with a loss by a final score of 86-73 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Musketeers ended up with 14 while St. John's totaled 18 personal fouls. They also converted 8 of their 20 shots from distance. St. John's ended up going 83.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 10 of their 12 tries. Furthermore, St. John's had 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. St. John's recorded 24 dimes and had 12 steals for the matchup. When it comes to defending, Xavier allowed their opponent to shoot 54.0% from the field on 34 out of 63 shooting. They also distributed 19 assists for the contest in addition to creating 14 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When talking about rebounding, they collected 28 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Musketeers buried 11 of 16 attempts for a rate of 68.8%. Xavier wrapped up the game having earned a 49.2% field goal percentage (29 out of 59) and converted 4 of their 20 shots from downtown.

Paul Scruggs is one player who was a contributor for the contest. He recorded 16 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He went 60.0% from the field and also earned 5 dimes.

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Xavier comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 17-8 on the campaign. They have an average of 73.1 points per contest (130th in D-1) while going 45.0% from the field. The Musketeers are shooting 32.6% on shots from downtown (172 of 527) and 71.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Xavier is pulling down 37.2 boards per contest and has 364 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 96th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 12.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 14.4 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Musketeers are able to force 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.1 fouls. They give up 31.8% on 3-point shots and they are 83rd in college basketball in points per game allowed (65.9). The Musketeers defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.3% (616 of 1,490) and they concede 33.3 rebounds per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 164th in college basketball in allowing assists with 304 conceded this season.

In their last game, the Connecticut Huskies got the win with a final of 70-65 when they faced Seton Hall. The Huskies pulled down 24 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in this game. They also turned it over 8 times, while recording 2 steals in this game. Seton Hall was called for 20 fouls in the game which got the Huskies to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They were able to bury 12 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 63.2%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, Connecticut made 4 out of their 18 attempts (22.2%). At the conclusion of this game, the Huskies went 27 out of 60 from the field which had them sitting at 45.0%. The Huskies allowed Seton Hall to make 26 out of their 61 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6% for the game. They finished the game shooting 39.1% from three-point range by going 9 of 23 and ended up shooting 4 of 6 at the free throw line (66.7%). In reference to how they rebounded, Connecticut allowed Seton Hall to snag 28 in all (9 offensive).

Adama Sanogo ended up being a factor for the Huskies in this contest. He buried 9 out of 17 for the matchup for a rate of 52.9%, and accumulated 16 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the contest.

Connecticut has a mark of 18-7 on the campaign. The Huskies are committing 17.4 personal fouls per game while shooting 74.9% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 14.4 times per game (93rd in Division 1) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per game. Connecticut has accumulated 1,918 points for the year (76.7 per contest) and they pull down 41.4 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Huskies are connecting on 43.4% from the field, which has them ranked 218th in D-1.

The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 69th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 65.2. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.6% from the floor (23rd in D-1). The Connecticut defense gives up 34.2% on three-point shots (155 of 453) and their opposition makes 67.4% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 10.4 assists and 34.0 total boards per game, which is 37th and 142nd in the country.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Xavier

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