The Xavier Musketeers will look to keep a streak of home dominance going Wednesday when they host the Providence Friars in a critical Big East showdown for both clubs. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET from the Cintas Center. Xavier has won seven consecutive home games in this series and posted two big conference wins last week. However, the Friars won two of the three matchups with the Musketeers last season and have covered the spread in four straight meetings with Xavier. The Musketeers are 3.5-point sportsbook favorites. The over-under for total points scored is holding steady at 141 in the latest Providence vs. Xavier odds. Before you make your Providence vs. Xavier picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned more than $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. It enters Week 12 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 15-6 run on top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now, the model has studied the Providence vs. Xavier spread from every angle and crunched the numbers. We can tell you the model is leaning to the over, and it also has generated an extremely strong point-spread selection that hits almost 70 percent of the time. That pick is available at SportsLine.
The model knows the Friars are likely a better team than their record suggests because they have been competitive in all of their Big East losses. Two have come by single digits, one in overtime, and they led Marquette 33-25 at halftime Saturday.
Providence has struggled at times on the offensive end, but its signature rugged defense and rebounding have remained consistent under coach Ed Cooley. The Friars (11-7, 1-4) also boast one of the most versatile players in the Big East in 6-foot-7 guard-forward Alpha Diallo, who leads the conference in rebounding with 8.6 per game. He also tops Providence in scoring (17.2 ppg) and assists (3.3).
Providence has covered the last four meetings in this series but it's no sure thing to do so again versus an Xavier club that is similarly looking to find its footing in Big East play.
Just two years removed from a trip to the Elite Eight, the Musketeers developed a reputation as an annual contender in the Big East and a tough team to beat come March. But they are in a bit of a rebuilding mode amid the departure of former coach Chris Mack, who moved on to Louisville. Longtime assistant Travis Steele is in his first year at the helm.
The Musketeers had a difficult non-conference schedule that included losses to Wisconsin, Auburn, Cincinnati and San Diego State. Because of this, they are considered a longshot for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth unless they finish the season with a flourish. Most bracket analysts believe the club needs at least a 10-8 conference record and a decent run in the Big East Tournament in order to merit consideration.
Who covers Providence vs. Xavier? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Join SportsLine now to get the pick from our advanced computer model that has generated a profit of more than $5,200 to $100 bettors over the past two seasons, and find out.
