Big East Basketball Games: Providence vs Xavier Takes Center Stage

Battle of Ranked Teams Wednesday in Big East Conference

It’s a decent slate of Big East basketball games for the balance of the week. There are three solid games on Wednesday, along with a couple of good contests over the weekend. The best game should be Providence at Xavier on Wednesday. Xavier’s pace should yield an entertaining contest regardless of the outcome.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

PROV Providence Friars vs Xavier Musketeers XAV

Date & Time:
Location: Cintas Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Streaming: Fox Sports 1

No. 17 Providence (17-5) visits No. 16 Xavier (17-5) to kick-off Big East Conference play on Wednesday. Xavier is favored by 3.5 with a total of 152.5 in what is probably the best of the Big East basketball games this week. The Friars are No. 19 in adjusted offensive efficiency, although much of that has to do with offensive rebounding. Providence isn’t a great shooting team but rank No. 8 in offensive boards. The Xavier defense is better than average but nothing to get excited about. Xavier’s strength is offense, where the Musketeers are No. 6 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Xavier can hit the 3-pointer but they don’t attempt that many shots from the perimeter. The Musketeers only score 26.5% of their points on 3-pointers. Both offenses should have some success, so those who partake in NCAA betting should probably look to the over.

HALL Seton Hall Pirates vs St. John’s Red Storm SJU

Date & Time:
Location: Carnesecca Arena (Jamaica, N.Y.)
Streaming: CBS Sports Network

Seton Hall (13-9) visits St. John’s (14-8) in what should be a decent basketball game. The Red Storm are favored by 1 and the total is 143. St. John’s Posh Alexander has fallen victim to the college basketball injuries bug and has missed the last two games. He’s listed as questionable for this one. The Pirates are going to rely on their defense, which is No. 14 in the adjusted efficiency ratings. Seton Hall isn’t a good shooting team, although the same can be said for St. John’s. The Red Storm are also better defensively. St. John’s is going to push the tempo, although it lacks the players to excel at a fast pace. The Pirates play at an average pace. There’s a little value on the under, although the Red Storm pushing the ball will keep it interesting.

Villanova Wildcats vs Marquette Warriors

Date & Time:
Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Streaming: Fox Sports 1

Villanova (10-11) visits No. 14 Marquette (17-5) and the Warriors are favored by 7 with a total of 143.5. Marquette came away with a 68-66 victory at Villanova. The Warriors are ranked No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and should have more success against the Wildcats than they did the first game. Both teams shot well from 2-point range, but both struggled on 3-pointers. The teams combined for just 14 free throws, which didn’t help over bettors. With the total at 143.5, the over is worth a look.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Butler Bulldogs vs Marquette Warriors

Date & Time:
Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Streaming: Fox Sports 1

Butler visits Marquette for a Saturday afternoon game and the Warriors are going to be close to 15-point favorites with a total near 148. The Bulldogs are having a tough go in Big East basketball games, going 3-9 after dropping their last four. Butler’s biggest problem is offense, where the Bulldogs are No. 159 in adjusted offensive efficiency compared to Marquette, which is tops in the nation. The Bulldogs are a fair 3-point shooting team but get hurt by a lack of offensive rebounds. The Warriors do have UConn on deck, so Butler is catching them at a good time. If the line climbs past 15, the Bulldogs are worth a look.

SJU St. John’s Red Storm vs Xavier Musketeers XAV

Date & Time:
Location: Cintas Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Streaming: FOX

A second straight tough game for both teams, as Xavier will be favored by about 9 with a total in the mid 160s. St. John’s does the bulk of its scoring from 2-point range and the Red Storm could have success against Xavier’s defense. The Red Storm like to run, as does Xavier, so there could be a lot of up-and-down the court here, although that’s going to be built into the total. The Musketeers won 84-79 on the road earlier this season and are coming off a tough game with Providence, so you can make a case for St. John’s in this one.

VILL Villanova Wildcats vs Creighton Blue Jays CREI

Date & Time:
Location: CHI Health Center Omaha (Omaha, Nebraska)
Streaming: FOX

The Blue Jays will be favored close to 10 over Villanova with a total near 140. The Villanova defense is the weak link in this one, as Creighton is solid on offense and defense, while the Wildcats aren’t bad offensively considering their slow pace. The Wildcats will put up plenty of 3-pointers and the Blue Jays aren’t at their best defending the 3-pointer, but Villanova’s pace makes this one a tough game to pull the trigger on the over.

Sunday, Jan. 5

DEP DePaul Blue Demons vs Seton Hall Pirates HALL

Date & Time:
Location: Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Streaming: Fox Sports 1

The Pirates are going to be favored by about 10 points in this one with a total near 138. Seton Hall has a huge edge in team defense, with DePaul ranking No. 176. The Blue Demons aren’t much better offensively, ranking No. 119 in adjusted efficiency. The Blue Demons shoot the 3-pointer well, but that’s the strength of the Pirate defense. The Pirates won by four at DePaul earlier this season and has Creighton on deck, so perhaps not the best spot to be laying double digits. If you want to play this one, the underdog offers a little more value.
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