UConn vs. Xavier NCAA Basketball Odds, Preview and Prediction (Archive)
Friday night’s NCAA basketball betting lineup tips off with a crucial matchup between a couple of ranked teams from the Big East as the UConn Huskies head west to battle the Xavier Musketeers.
Connecticut Huskies vs. Xavier Musketeers
Friday, February 11, 2022 – 07:00 PM EST at Cintas Center
This is the first of two quick clashes between UConn and Connecticut. Friday’s contest is a makeup, after the two sides saw the originally-scheduled date in late January, waved off because of virus issues within the Huskies’ program. Connecticut checks in percentage points ahead of Marquette in a tie for third in the Big East, while the Musketeers are tied for sixth with Seton Hall.
While it is a top 25 tussle on Friday, next week’s collision in Connecticut probably won’t be. The Huskies entered the week ranked No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 23 on the coaches list, and a loss Friday could knock them out. Xavier was No. 25 in the AP to begin the week and sat just outside the coaches' poll, and already took one in the loss column when it came out on the wrong end of the NCAAB scores against Seton Hall earlier this week.
UConn in 8-2 ‘Over’ Stretch
A quick check of the college basketball odds being offered finds Xavier favored by less than a layup with most sites listing the Musketeers -1½. Fox Sports 1 will carry the broadcast, and the scoreboard target is sitting on 141½.
This is the first of a 4-game stretch UConn will play over the next nine days, the first two of which take place on the road with a Sunday matchup in New York against St. John’s following this stop in Connecticut. The Huskies have won three of their five Big East games away from home, and also covered three of the five road tilts.
Dan Hurley’s crew was part of our free college basketball picks lineup earlier this week when Marquette visited Hartford in a top 25 matchup, and the Huskies grabbed an 80-72 decision. Favored by 6-6½ at various shops, UConn dominated the glass with a 46-27 rebounding advantage, keeping the Golden Eagles from many second-chance scoring opportunities.
Connecticut slowed the pace down a little against Marquette while also taking care of business at the free-throw line. The Huskies converted 20 of 23 foul shots, and have been slowly moving up in that column the last couple of weeks, now 48th-best in the country (75.6%).
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X-Men 0-6 ATS in Big East Home Games
Travis Steele’s team has struggled to find consistency, and that has led to the pedestrian 6-6 record in Big East play despite owning a respectable No. 28 listing in the latest Ken Pomeroy rankings. That inconsistency has also led to a wallet-draining 2-7 run against the spread, and 0-6 ATS in the Musketeers’ home games against conference foes.
Xavier was on the road earlier this week at Seton Hall where the Pirates held on for a 73-71 victory. The Musketeers were getting 3 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review), so they at least brought home a cover for their backers. Seton Hall beat Xavier on the glass with a 41-28 advantage and really embarrassed the Musketeers by pulling down 17 offensive boards.
The loss was Xavier’s second in a row, and fourth in the last six trips to the hardwood. There was some good news in that Cesare Edwards was in the rotation for the first time since December 12, and the freshman contributed 8 points in nine minutes. Edwards had been limited by an ankle injury.
Friday Marks Just the 4th Meeting Between Programs
The rivalry between the Huskies and Musketeers is still in its infancy, with Friday’s encounter just the fourth meeting overall and only the second time the two schools have met as Big East opponents. In fact, when Xavier travels to meet UConn next week, it will be the Musketeers’ first game in Storrs.
They only got in one meeting during the pandemic-marred 2020-21 campaign, and it took place at Cintas Center where the Huskies posted a mild 80-72 upset as 3½-point underdogs at top-rated sportsbooks. Connecticut led by as many as 14 before Xavier made it a game, and the final went past a 135½-point total with relative ease.
Getting manhandled on the glass at Seton Hall doesn’t bode well for Xavier since UConn is No. 4 in the nation on the glass. I’ll combine that glasswork with the Musketeers’ inability to cover league home games and make a play on the Huskies.
NCAAB Pick: Huskies +1½ (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
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