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How to Watch
When: 1:30 pm EST
Where: Cintas Center; Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: CBS
Stream: CBS Sports
Bets are On
Villanova is favored by -4.5, according to OddsShark.
Noteworthy Juice
Losing three of their past four games, the Villanova Wildcats are once more experiencing the tumultuous waters that drowned out their early season playmaking. With only a handful of games remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats are in desperate need of shooting stability and consistent performance beyond their go-to senior leadership of Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. Booth still maintains his status as top-scorer for ‘Nova, averaging 18.6 points per game.
Xavier fell to the Wildcats during the teams’ first meeting this season, losing 75-85 at the Finneran Pavilion in January. While ‘Nova leads the all-time series against the Musketeers 25-5, away games have been a weak spot for coach Jay Wright’s squad recently—accordingly, Xavier could be in prime position to capitalize on the Wildcats’ shakiness. Sophomore Naji Marshall tops the Musketeers’ offensive charts with 14.3 points per game, and will likely continue his young leadership this afternoon.