It is a busy day of college basketball across the Saturday slate with plenty of the top teams in action. In a Big East battle, the Xavier Musketeers will take on the Georgetown Hoyas during the later slate. This matchup will be tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Looking at the odds, Georgetown enters as a 4.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Georgetown holds +170 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total is set at 152.5.
Xavier vs. Georgetown preview
The Xavier Musketeers are off to an 8-4 start to the season, with this being their second conference matchup. Their four losses have come against Santa Clara, Iowa, Georgia, and Creighton thus far, with their most notable win coming over Cincinnati. Xavier is 5-7 against the spread and the over has cashed in seven of 12 matchups.
There have been some struggles on both sides of the ball for Richard Pitino’s squad. Xavier is scoring 76.6 points per game, which ranks 206th out of the 365 D1 teams. The Musketeers rank 229th in offensive rating, 319th in team field-goal percentage, 89th in three-point percentage, and 233rd in rebounds per game. Defensively, opponents are scoring 73.7 points per game against them. This ranks 202nd in the country, and Xavier ranks 177th in defensive rating, 315th in opponent field goal percentage, 186th in opponent three-point percentage, and 321st in opponent rebounds allowed.
Tre Carroll headlines the production with 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.5% from beyond the three-point arc. Roddie Anderson III, Jovan Milicevic, and All Wright each also average in double figures. Wright is also the team’s leading three-point shooter at 46.8%. Filip Borovicanin headlines the rebounding production with 7.1 per game, along with his 8.6 points and team-high 4.2 assists. Malik Moore rounds out the team’s starting lineup and makes his impact felt in a variety of ways.
Georgetown is off to an 8-3 start to the season and is 1-0 in its lone Big East matchup. The Hoyas’ three losses have come against Dayton in overtime, Miami, and North Carolina. The Hoyas beat Marquette in their first conference matchup and also have wins over Maryland and Clemson. Despite this, Georgetown is just 3-8 against the spread as the over has cashed in seven of their 11 games.
Ed Cooley’s squad is averaging 78.2 points per game, which ranks 162nd in the country. The Hoyas rank 154th in offensive rating, 254th in team field goal percentage, 158th in rebounds per game, and 340th in three-point percentage. Defensively, Georgetown is allowing 73.6 points per game, which ranks 198th. The Hoyas rank 210th in defensive rating, 131st in opponent field goal percentage, 198th in opponent three-point percentage, and 213th in opponent rebounds allowed.
Malik Mack leads the team with 14.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. KJ Lewis is posting a Big East-best 2.3 steals per game defensively, while adding 14.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Vincent Iwuchukwu, Caleb Williams, and Julius Halaifonua each also pitch in double figures, with Williams posting a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game. Iwuchukwa will remain sidelined tonight as he recovers from a medical procedure that will keep him out 6-8 weeks and occurred in mid November. Isaiah Abraham rounds out the starting lineup in what is a fairly thin rotation for the Hoyas.
Xavier vs. Georgetown pick, best bet
Both these teams have flaws that can be exploited. But Georgetown is looking to build off its previous victory over Marquette, while Xavier is attempting to pick themselves up off the mat after a 41-point dismantling at the hands of Creighton. Georgetown is also more battle tested overall, while Xavier has struggled to separate themselves from what should be inferior competition this season.
Georgetown has struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter, but has done a nice job attacking the rim. This will be problematic against an Xavier team that has not had much resistance on the interior, ranking 341st in opponents’ field goal percentage inside the arc. Expect Malik Mack, KJ Lewis, and Caleb Williams to each have some success asserting themselves on the interior.
Georgetown plays a more physical and tougher brand of basketball. The Hoyas have won 16 of their last 17 games at home in Capital One Arena, and Xavier does not have the look of a team capable of snapping this. My lean would be toward the under, with this being an ugly matchup in which both teams are still working through their flaws. But, there is more reason for belief in Georgetown and expect Xavier to fail to get stops at the necessary rate. Count on the previous blowout loss sticking with Xavier a bit, and for Georgetown to play their way into a win and cover the 4.5-point spread. Their struggles to cover the spread are worth noting, but this is a small enough number that I am not blinking at it.
