Villanova Preview: Building Momentum Against Xavier?

Villanova has a chance to stack wins for the first time since early January when they host the Xavier Musketeers at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center beginning at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9… by far the most important sporting event for the City of Brotherly Love that day.

The Wildcats dropped a heartbreaker to Xavier in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Jan. 14, blowing an early double digit lead on the way to a 69-63 final. Now they’re expected to return the favor, securing the win in 65.5 percent of ESPN Analytics’ simulations for the game. Betting lines opened in Villanova’s favor at -3.5 (point spread and 141.5 (over/under), and there they remain as of Saturday, Feb. 8. The money line, on the other hand, likes the Wildcats as a healthy -175 favorite.

Considered a Big East sleeper pick after capping a three game winning streak with a top ten road victory at Marquette, Xavier enters play at 3-2 in their last five games, with their losses coming to red-hot St. John’s and Creighton teams. Villanova, meanwhile, sits at 2-3 in recent matchups, enduring a three game losing streak before getting back in the win column at DePaul.

Right now, Villanova sits at No. 55 in the NET rankings and No. 54 in the KenPom Ratings. Xavier occupies the No. 53 and No. 51 spots, respectively. As such, this represents a Quad 2 matchup for the Wildcats… and they own a healthy 4-2 record in such matchups this season.

Where to Watch; Who to Watch

FS1 will provide the telecast for this matchup.

6-foot-9 senior forward Zach Freemantle leads the Musketeers in points (16.5), rebounds (7.2) and blocks (0.9) per game: Villanova limited him to ten points in January, and replicating that success could prove a key to victory… even if that’s not how things played out the first time around.

Guard Dayvion McKnight paces Xavier in assists and steals (4.6 and 1.5, respectively), while Ryan Conwell (who dropped 34 on Villanova in Cincinnati) and Dailyn Swain both average double digit points with 16.0 and 10.3. McKnight just misses the cut with 9.9.