UConn Huskies at Xavier Musketeers Betting Preview/Prop Pick

The Big East Conference race continues to be tight, and there is a very important game taking place on Friday night. The Xavier Musketeers host the UConn Huskies in a battle of Top 25 teams looking to win the league.

UConn comes into this game with a record of 16-6, and they have gone 7-4 so far in conference action. The Huskies did suffer two straight losses recently but rebounded with an impressive win over Marquette.

Xavier has gone just 6-6 in conference action, and they have been a disappointment in those conference standings. The Musketeers have lost two straight games, including a stunning upset loss to the DePaul Demon Deacons. 

The Xavier Musketeers are 1.5-point betting favorites at home over the UConn Huskies on Friday night. 

Cole Carrying Connecticut on Offense

The UConn Huskies are scoring over 78 points per game this season, and they are wanting to play extremely fast on both ends of the floor. UConn is shooting just 44 percent from the floor this season, but they usually find a way to get more possessions than their opponents. 

Guard R.J. Cole leads the team with 16.0 points per game, and he has also dished out 4.5 assists per game. If Cole is playing well, then that will make life easier for his teammates on the offensive end. 

The Huskies recently gave up 85 points in a loss to Villanova, and they are going to have to play solid defense to win this one. 

Xavier Needs to Make Some Shots

When the Xavier Musketeers are shooting the ball well from deep, then they are extremely tough to beat. Shooting has been an issue for Xavier of late, but they are still pouring in 73 points per game. 

Guard Jack Nunge leads the Musketeers with 12.7 points per game this season, but Xavier has a balanced attack on offense. Xavier doesn’t want to play as fast as UConn, but they have to find a way to get good shots on every possession.

A lack of size has hurt the Musketeers in Big East action as well, but this team needs to find a way to play well on their home floor. 

Xavier Survives Scare From UConn

The overall season statistics for both teams in this game are extremely close, and there isn’t much separation in the betting lines either. Home court advantage could play a key factor in this matchup, and Xavier is fortunate to be playing this game on their home floor.

UConn hasn’t always played well on the road this season, and the Huskies are going to have to shoot it well to win this game. Xavier has a much more balanced offensive attack, and they have a number of players that can step up and lead the way. 

This should be a terrific battle on Friday night, but ultimately the home team wins. Bet the Xavier Musketeers -1.5 and the UNDER as they survive a scare from the UConn Huskies but pick up an impressive Big East Conference victory.

Prop Pick

Connecticut (-120) UNDER 70.5 Points

The Musketeers are allowing 65.0 points per game on defense, which ranks No. 72 in the nation. That average drops to 61.5 points per game at home. Scores have gone UNDER in five of Xavier’s last seven games overall.

With Dunkel predicting an Xavier victory by the score of 71-66, take the Huskies (-120) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 70.5 points against the Musketeers.

Be sure to check out all of our NCAAB picks!