The Big East is already looking like a behemoth of a conference this year. The Xavier Musketeers and the Villanova Wildcats are both Final Four contenders, and they'll match wits in the first game of the conference season.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE XAVIER MUSKETEERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The X-Men are still undefeated, and they're doing it by being the more physical and aggressive team on the court even though they aren't always the biggest dog in the fight. Xavier is outrebounding teams by 15.6 per game, and if that margin keeps up throughout the Big East season, it could be on its way to a top seed in the dance this year.
James Farr and Jalen Reynolds make for a nasty tandem in the low post. These two can't play alongside each other all that often, as that usually hurts the flow of an offense which plays from the outside in, but they're both good for over 10 points per game and are combining for 14.9 boards per game as well.
These two guys are going to have to be at their best, because no matter how good Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner are, they’re going to comprise the lesser of the two backcourts on the floor in this game.
HOW THE VILLANOVA WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Villanova is surely battle-tested this season having played against Virginia, Oklahoma and others, but the problem is that it’s been beaten in both of its games against Top 10 teams. This is the third such attempt this year and the first of those games which comes here in the City of Brotherly Love.
It's the defense which has really been lacking in the big duels. The Cavaliers shot 56.5 percent from the field and 8-for-12 from beyond the arc, while Oklahoma made 46.7 percent of its shots and went 14-of-26 from deep.
Sure, some of that has been dumb luck and outstanding shooting by outstanding teams, but Xavier can be just as efficient. The Wildcats can't be afraid to get in the face of the bully, per se and try to muscle with the Musketeers. If they aren't able to do so, they're going to go down swinging.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Jay Wright has himself a strong team this year, but Kris Jenkins, Daniel Ochefu, Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono can only do so much. If Villanova’s backcourt takes this game over at both ends of the court, the Wildcats can and will win this NCAAB game.
However, this is a bad time to be hosting one of the best teams in the nation. The students aren't back on campus yet and won't be for New Year's Eve. That's a real factor for teams this time of year.
We fancy the Musketeers to keep to what has worked this year in their toughest test of the season. They're going to get the ball into the paint as often as they can to Reynolds and Farr, and as long as they don't end up getting saddled with foul trouble and at least one of the two is effective, we think the undefeated mark for the X-Men remains intact.
Xavier 76, Villanova 72
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so starting betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Xavier Musketeers and the Villanova Wildcats will go down on Thursday, December 31, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. ET at The Pavilion. You can watch the game live on FOX Sports 1.
