Can Xavier Make It Three Wins in A Row Against Favored UConn?
Xavier vs UConn Betting Odds Has Visiting Huskies Favored
Some Big Names Missing As UConn and Xavier Meet Once Again
Can Xavier continue its success when the Musketeers welcome the defending national champions to town? The UConn vs Xavier matchup odds have visiting UConn as 4.5-point favorites.
Xavier has won its last two home games against UConn by 10 and six points and is 4-2 against the Huskies.
Both teams are missing key players as UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan is out with a foot injury while Zach Freemantle, who was Xavier’s second-leading scorer last season is out for the season. Jerome Hunter is also out for the season for the Musketeers.
A quick peek at the college basketball standings shows that UConn is one of four teams tied for the Big East lead while is sitting in eighth place in the Big East standings.
UConn remained at No. 4 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. Xavier is not receiving votes in either of the national polls after being ranked the both times that the Musketeers faced UConn last season.
UConn trails only Purdue, Arizona, and Houston in the odds of winning the national title. Xavier is well back at +12000 in the championship odds.
UConn vs Xavier 
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Location: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Defending Champs Are Dialing Long Distance
Without 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan, who was showing up in the National Player of the Year odds before being injured, the offense looks a little different for UConn.
The Huskies have been relying more on the perimeter game. Cam Spencer, Alex Karaban, and Stephon Castle combined to go 18-for-33 with seven 3-pointers in a win at Butler in the Huskies’ most recent game.
They were a combined 20-for-27 in a blowout win versus DePaul. Spencer and Karaban combined for seven 3-pointers while Castle had seven assists. Keep that in mind when it comes to the UConn vs Xavier matchup odds.
UConn has covered against the Las Vegas odds in five of its last seven NCAAB games.
Olivari Is Coming Through For Xavier
With Freemantle and Hunter out for the season, other NCAAB players have had to step up.
Connecticut native Desmond Claude went from averaging 4.7 points as a freshman to 14.8 this season.
Rice transfer Quincy Olivari leads Xavier with an average of 17.9 points per game. Olivari is averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 47.9% on 3-pointers at home. His numbers drop to 11.3 points on 32.5% shooting (18% from 3-point range). Those numbers can’t be ignored when looking at the UConn vs Xavier matchup odds.
The total has gone under in four of Xavier’s last five games.
Last Meeting
After beating visiting UConn 83-73 as a three-point underdog, Xavier headed to Connecticut and completed the season sweep with the 82-79 victory when listed by the NCAA picks as the six-point underdog.
The Musketeers shot 53% from the field as they led by as many as 17 points and never trailed in the game.
It was the fifth time in the last six meetings between Xavier and UConn that landed over the total.
UConn vs Xavier Betting Preview
Just four players who took to the court in the most recent matchup between these college basketball teams are set to play on Wednesday.
Claude is the only player for Xavier who saw time in the three-point win by the Musketeers. For UConn, Tristen Newton had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists the last time the Huskies met Xavier. With so many changes in personnel, it is hard to read much into what happened a season ago.
UConn has split its two games this NCAAB season when listed as the road underdog. Dating back to last season, the Huskies are 7-5 outright as a road favorite. Xavier has dropped two of its last three games as home underdogs.
UConn is favored for the 15th time in 16 games while Xavier is 1-4 as the underdog. The total has gone under in five of UConn’s last seven road games. That is something to consider when it comes to NCAA basketball picks and parlays.
The total has gone under in each of Xavier’s last five games against Big East foes. The total is set at 146.5 for this matchup, moving from 145 in the last 24 hours.
While one of UConn’s losses was a double-digit defeat on the road to Big East rival Seton Hall, it is hard to pick against the Huskies in this matchup as the two losses suffered a season ago should have the attention of the UConn players heading into this matchup.
For NCAAB betting news, NCAAB odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
