Two of the top teams in the Big East will meet on the first day of February, with the Providence Friars and the Xavier Musketeers locking horns down in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Check out our preview of this Providence vs Xavier matchup in the 2022-23 NCAA basketball season. There are more college basketball previews to read here at TopBet, so feel free to look around and make bets once you’re ready.
The Friars stayed hot as they beat the Villanova Wildcats on the road last Saturday, 70-65, for their third victory in a row. With that win, Providence tied the Musketeers and the Marquette Golden Eagles for the best conference record in the Big East. Providence’s offense has been a key to its success this season. It is top 25 in the nation with 78.8 points per game, thanks to a nicely distributed scoring contribution among the Friars. Bryce Hopkins leads the team with 16.4 points per game, but four other Friars players average at least 9.3 points per outing.
Providence is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games. The Under is also 7-3 in those contests.
Xavier is coming off an 84-67 road loss to the Creighton Bluejays last Saturday, with the Musketeers failing to extend a winning streak to three games. However, that was only the second loss of Xavier over its last 15 games. Xavier prides itself in its ability to execute on offense by moving the ball well. After all, the Musketeers are No. 1 in the nation with 20.7 assists per game. They are also sixth nationally with 119.0 points per 100 possessions adjusted. While they only went 4/14 from deep in the loss to Creighton, the X-Men are still fourth overall with a 39.8 3FG% and eighth with a 56.0 eFG% this season, so far.
Xavier is 6-4 against the spread in its last 10 outings. The Over is 6-4 too in those games.
