Big East Basketball Games: Providence vs Xavier Takes Center Stage

It’s a decent slate of Big East basketball games for the balance of the week. There are three solid games on Wednesday, along with a couple of good contests over the weekend. The best game should be Providence at Xavier on Wednesday. Xavier’s pace should yield an entertaining contest regardless of the outcome.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

No. 17NCAA betting should probably look to the over.

college basketball injuries bug and has missed the last two games. He’s listed as questionable for this one. The Pirates are going to rely on their defense, which is No. 14 in the adjusted efficiency ratings. Seton Hall isn’t a good shooting team, although the same can be said for St. John’s. The Red Storm are also better defensively. St. John’s is going to push the tempo, although it lacks the players to excel at a fast pace. The Pirates play at an average pace. There’s a little value on the under, although the Red Storm pushing the ball will keep it interesting.

Villanova (10-11) visits No. 14 Marquette (17-5) and the Warriors are favored by 7 with a total of 143.5. Marquette came away with a 68-66 victory at Villanova. The Warriors are ranked No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and should have more success against the Wildcats than they did the first game. Both teams shot well from 2-point range, but both struggled on 3-pointers. The teams combined for just 14 free throws, which didn’t help over bettors. With the total at 143.5, the over is worth a look.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Butler visits Marquette for a Saturday afternoon game and the Warriors are going to be close to 15-point favorites with a total near 148. The Bulldogs are having a tough go in Big East basketball games, going 3-9 after dropping their last four. Butler’s biggest problem is offense, where the Bulldogs are No. 159 in adjusted offensive efficiency compared to Marquette, which is tops in the nation. The Bulldogs are a fair 3-point shooting team but get hurt by a lack of offensive rebounds. The Warriors do have UConn on deck, so Butler is catching them at a good time. If the line climbs past 15, the Bulldogs are worth a look.

A second straight tough game for both teams, as Xavier will be favored by about 9 with a total in the mid 160s. Musketeers won 84-79 on the road earlier this season and are coming off a tough game with Providence, so you can make a case for St. John’s in this one.

The Blue Jays will be favored close to 10 over Villanova with a total near 140. The Villanova defense is the weak link in this one, as Creighton is solid on offense and defense, while the Wildcats aren’t bad offensively considering their slow pace. The Wildcats will put up plenty of 3-pointers and the Blue Jays aren’t at their best defending the 3-pointer, but Villanova’s pace makes this one a tough game to pull the trigger on the over.

Sunday, Jan. 5

The Pirates are going to be favored by about 10 points in this one with a total near 138. Seton Hall has a huge edge in team defense, with DePaul ranking No. 176. The Blue Demons aren’t much better offensively, ranking No. 119 in adjusted efficiency. The Blue Demons shoot the 3-pointer well, but that’s the strength of the Pirate defense. The Pirates won by four at DePaul earlier this season and has Creighton on deck, so perhaps not the best spot to be laying double digits. If you want to play this one, the underdog offers a little more value.
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