UConn Huskies vs. Xavier Musketeers Predictions, Picks, Odds

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Friday night’s college basketball betting action gets underway at 7 p.m. (ET) with a big showdown in the Big East. The No. 24 Connecticut Huskies will travel to Cintas Center in Cincinnati to tangle with the No. 25 Xavier Musketeers.

SCORE PREDICTION

UConn 72, Xavier 71

BEST BETS

UConn +1 (-110) at DraftKings

UCONN HUSKIES VS. XAVIER MUSKETEERS PREDICTIONS

The Huskies snapped a two-game skid on Tuesday night with an eight-point victory over Marquette as 6.5-point home favorites. They are now 7-4 straight-up in Big East play and three games off the pace set by Providence. Connecticut is an even 2-2 SU on the road in conference play this season.

Xavier slipped to an even 6-6 straight-up in Big East play with Wednesday’s two-point loss to Seton Hall as a three-point road underdog. This followed an unexpected four-point loss to DePaul on Feb. 5 closing as a heavy 13.5-point favorite home. This mid-season slide has led to four SU losses in the Musketeers’ last six conference games.

Connecticut has a great opportunity to beat a team on the ropes this Friday night. However, Xavier is much more talented than its current form would lead you to believe. Hedging my bets a bit, the SU lean is towards the Musketeers rebounding with a SU win at home. However, I like the Huskies covering against the spread.

UCONN HUSKIES VS. XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING ODDS

Xavier -1 (-110)
UConn +1 (-110)
Over 140.5 (-110)
under 140.5 (-110)

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UCONN HUSKIES VS. XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: Big East
Date: Friday, February 11, 2022
Venue: Cintas Center
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
TV-Time: FS1 - 7:00 p.m. ET

UCONN HUSKIES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 16-6
ATS: 11-11
O/U: 15-7

The win and cover against Marquette also snapped a three-game losing streak against the spread. Prior to that slide, Connecticut was able to cover the closing number in five of six conference games. The total went OVER 139.5 points in Tuesday’s win and it has gone OVER in eight of the Huskies’ last 10 contests.

Guard RJ Cole leads the team in points (16.0), assists (4.5) and steals (1.5) while averaging 33 minutes of playing time across all 22 of Connecticut’s games this season. He is also one of the team’s best free throw shooters at 89%. Forward Adama Sanogo is a close second in scoring with 15.4 points per game. He has been the Huskies’ top rebounder with 8.4 boards a game. Guard Tyrese Martin rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 13.5 PPG. He is shooting 48.4% from the field and 43.1% from three-point range.

Connecticut has been able to average 78 PPG while shooting 43.9% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range. The team is pulling down an efficient 41.5 rebounds with 14.3 coming on the offensive end of the court. Defensively, the Huskies are holding opposing teams to an average of 65.1 PPG.

XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 16-7
ATS: 12-11
O/U: 9-13-1

Xavier has been a bad bet against the closing number since a Jan. 12 loss to Villanova with a 2-7 record ATS in its last nine games. The Musketeers were able to cover against Seton Hall in Wednesday’s 73-71 loss and the total went OVER 141 points. It had stayed UNDER in five of their previous six contests.

Forward Jack Nunge (12.7 points) and guard Paul Scruggs (12.4 points) are the team’s top two scorers. Nunge is adding 7.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 blocks a game. Scruggs has led the way in assists (4.4) while shooting 42.6% from the field.

Guard Colby Jones rounds out a trio of players scoring in double figures with 10.5 PPG. He is Xavier’s most consistent shooter with a 45.8 field-goal percentage. He is also pulling down a team-high 7.6 rebounds a game. Overall, the team is averaging 37.7 rebounds with 10.3 on offensive.

The Musketeers are averaging 73.1 PPG while shooting 44.7% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range this season. They are hitting 71.3% of their free throw attempts. Defensively, Xavier is giving up an average of 65 PPG at that end of the court to matchup well against the Huskies.

**UConn has won 11 of its last 16 road games. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - UCONN HUSKIES

Record: 16-6
VI Ranking: 26
PS/G: 78 (34th)
PA/G: 65.1 (70th)
ORtg: 109.7 (41st)
DRtg: 91.5 (28th)

INSIDE THE STATS - XAVIER MUSKETEERS

Record: 16-7
VI Ranking: 30
PS/G: 73.1 (134th)
PA/G: 65 (67th)
ORtg: 105.5 (122nd)
DRtg: 93.8 (58th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

CONN: R.J. Cole - G (16 ppg, 4.5 apg)
CONN: Adama Sanogo - F (15.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
XAV: Jack Nunge - F (12.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
XAV: Paul Scruggs - G (12.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.4 apg)

UCONN HUSKIES VS. XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING CONCLUSION

With Connecticut returning to the Big East a few years back, these two teams have met twice in the previous two seasons. The road team won both games SU and ATS. The total went OVER each time.

The Huskies have the better consistency right now, but that is not saying all that much. With the pressure dialed up on Xavier to turn things around, the Musketeers have a much stronger sense of urgency heading into Friday’s game.

Either way, this should remain a tight, hard-fought battle through the entire 40 minutes of play. The eventual outcome could easily come down to which team has the ball last. That being said, the value in the betting lines lies with Connecticut ATS.

UCONN HUSKIES VS. XAVIER MUSKETEERS BETTING TRENDS

UConn has won 11 of its last 16 road games.
UConn has gone UNDER in five of its last seven road games.
Xavier has covered the spread in four of its last five home games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson