College basketball picks: Xavier-Villanova prediction, odds, spread for January 7

We have a Saturday afternoon Big East showdown to look forward to as the No. 18 Xavier Musketeers hit the road to face the Villanova Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Finneran Pavilion in Philadelphia and will air on FS1.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Xavier vs. Villanova odds

Spread: Villanova -2
Over/Under: 146.5
Moneyline: TBA

Xavier (12-3, 4-0 Big East) is riding an eight-game winning streak heading into this contest and scored a huge upset by taking down then undefeated UConn 83-73 last Saturday. The Musketeers locked in late and held the Huskies scoreless in the final two minutes of action. That allowed them to build on a tight lead and walk away with a double-digit win. Zach Freemantle stepped up with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in the win.

Villanova (8-7, 2-2 Big East) ended a two-game losing streak in conference play when beating up lowly Georgetown in a 73-57 victory on Wednesday. This game was dead even at the half before the Wildcats were able to establish separation by outscoring the Hoyas 20-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Caleb Daniels came away with 20 points, six rebounds, and four steals in the win.

The Pick: Xavier +2

Finneran Pavilion is a tough place to play if you're a road opponent, and the Wildcats could potentially feed off the crowd throughout the afternoon. However Xavier is the hottest team in the Big East right now, and carries with it the eighth ranked offense in adjusted efficiency. Expect a tight game up until the final 10 minutes, where the Musketeers should be able to pull away and cover on the road.

  
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