Xavier vs Villanova Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 21 (Don't Expect Fireworks in Big East Battle)

Xavier vs Villanova Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• No. 16 Xavier (20-7, 12-4 Big East) vs. Villanova (13-14, 7-9 Big East)
• Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023
• Time: 6:30 PM ET
• Venue: Cintas Center -- Cincinnati, Ohio
• Coverage: Fox Sports 1

Tuesday, Feb. 21's NCAA college basketball schedule features a Big East clash between the No. 16 Xavier Musketeers and Villanova Wildcats.

Xavier has some momentum on its side following an 82-68 victory against DePaul over the weekend. Meanwhile, Villanova aims to bounce back after an 85-72 loss to ranked Providence ended the Wildcats' winning streak at three games.

Can Xavier win its 12th consecutive home game tonight? Or will Villanova notch its first road victory since Jan. 20?

Xavier vs Villanova Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: XAVIER: (-184) | NOVA: (+152)
• Spread: XAVIER: -4.5 (-110) | NOVA: +4.5 (-110)
• Total: 147.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Xavier enters this contest as the clear home favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 147.5 points with both sides sitting at -110 odds.

Xavier vs Villanova Betting Trends

• Xavier is 15-12-0 against the spread this season.
• The Musketeers are 5-7 as 5.5-point favorites or more.
• Xavier has played 27 games this season, and 17 of them have gone over the total.
• Villanova has beaten the spread 10 times in 27 games.
• As 5.5-point underdogs or more, the Wildcats are 3-1 against the spread.
• Villanova has played 27 games this season, and 13 of them have gone over the total.

Xavier Rank	Xavier AVG		Villanova AVG	Villanova Rank
9th	82.6	Points Scored	69.5	232nd
316th	75.2	Points Allowed	67.8	122nd
36th	34.8	Rebounds	29.1	307th
151st	8.9	Off. Rebounds	6.1	337th
157th	7.6	3pt Made	8.6	55th
1st	20.4	Assists	11	328th
240th	12.6	Turnovers	9.9	19th

Xavier vs Villanova Prediction & Pick

A 12-game home winning streak gives you a good idea as to how good Xavier has been at Cintas Center this season. The Musketeers' offense tends to come alive at home, where it averages 85.4 PPG — ninth-most in the country. It helps that they also hit 50.5% of their field-goal opportunities and 38.5% of their three-point attempts at home.

Though Villanova's defense is decent this season (67.8 PPG, No. 103), Xavier already dropped 88 points on its Big East rival back on Jan. 7. It's not like the Wildcats' offense can keep pace, either. They only average 68.4 PPG on the road, playing a big role in their minus-2.1 scoring margin in away contests.

With Xavier's superior ball movement (20.4 assist per game, No. 1) helping navigate around VIllanova's defense, the Musketeers shouldn't have any issues winning at home tonight.

Final Score Prediction: Xavier: 75 | Villanova: 67

Xavier vs Villanova Best Bet

When it comes to the best bet, I recommend siding with the total going under 147.5 points. For starters, the under is 6-2 in Villanova's last eight games, as well as being 4-2 in Xavier's last six.

On top of that, the total has gone under in four of the last five Xavier-Villanova matchups. After combining to fewer than 147.5 points in six of their last seven meetings, I'm even more convinced that backing the under is the right call.

Bet: Under 147.5 Points (-112)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.