Xavier Musketeers vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 2/9/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Xavier Musketeers vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Sunday, February 9, 2025

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Villanova Wildcats (13-10) will compete against the Xavier Musketeers (14-9) at Finneran Pavilion on Sunday.

The Xavier Musketeers faced Georgetown and took home the win by a score of 74-69 in their last game. Xavier ended with a 51.0% field goal percentage (25 of 49) and made 7 out of their 18 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Musketeers buried 17 of 19 tries for a rate of 89.5%. With regard to rebounding, they collected a total of 28 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 18 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In regard to the defense, Xavier allowed their opponent to shoot 49.1% from the floor on 27 out of 55 shooting. Georgetown dished out 19 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. Moreover, Georgetown totaled 22 boards (3 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. Georgetown ended up shooting 61.5% at the free throw line by making 8 of 13 tries. They buried 7 of their 23 tries from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Musketeers finished with 12 and Georgetown totaled 18 fouls.

Dailyn Swain is a player who was a contributor in this contest. He finished 72.7% from the floor and also totaled 4 assists. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and also pulled down 6 rebounds. He finished with 18 points on 8 out of 11 shooting.

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Xavier enters this one with a win-loss record of 14-9 for the season. They are turning it over 11.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.1 fouls every game. As a team, Xavier is pulling in 34.1 boards per contest and is sitting with 380 dimes for the year, which ranks 34th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Musketeers are shooting 38.3% on three-point shots (187 of 488) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. They average 76.8 points per contest (109th in college) while shooting 45.5% from the field.

Defensively, the Musketeers are able to force 12.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.8 personal fouls. They are 278th in the country in allowing assists with 331 surrendered this season. The Musketeers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 43.2% (582 of 1,346) and they relinquish 33.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They surrender 32.8% on 3-point attempts while they are 137th in college in points per game allowed (70.1).

The last time they took the court, the Villanova Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 59-49 against DePaul. When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Villanova permitted DePaul to get 29 overall (11 offensive). They finished 19.4% from 3-point land by shooting 7 out of 36 and walked away from this one shooting 2 of 5 from the charity stripe (40.0%). The Wildcats permitted DePaul to knock down 20 of their 65 attempts from the floor which had them at 30.8% for the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Wildcats finished shooting 22 out of 48 from the field which had them shooting 45.8%. With respect to shots from distance, Villanova converted 7 of their 15 attempts (46.7%). They were able to knock down 8 of them for a percentage of 100.0%. DePaul committed 10 fouls for the game which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 8 attempts. They turned it over 13 times, while earning 5 steals in this matchup. The Wildcats recorded 25 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 32 in this contest.

Jordan Longino ended up having an impact for the Wildcats in this contest. He buried 8 of 14 for the contest for a rate of 57.1%, and had 3 rebounds. He totaled 17 points in his 35 mins of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes in the game.

Villanova has a win-loss mark of 13-10 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Wildcats are hitting on 46.9% from the floor, which ranks 72nd in college hoops. Villanova has 1,731 pts for the campaign (75.3 per contest) and they grab 35.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.1 times per contest (241st in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.2 times per game. The Wildcats are committing 16.3 personal fouls per game while shooting 80.4% from the charity stripe.

The Villanova defense gives up 34.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (199 of 583) and opponents are making 69.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 14.1 dimes and 30.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is 265th and 19th in college hoops. The Wildcats on defense are ranked 67th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 67.6. They have forced 10.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (111th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Xavier

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