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The Xavier Musketeers will look to continue to dominate on their home floor when they take on the Connecticut Huskies in a key Big East Conference matchup on Saturday. The Musketeers (11-2, 4-2), who are third in the Big East, have been nearly perfect at home, going 9-1, but have not played since Jan. 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Huskies (8-5, 5-5), who are tied for fifth in the conference with St. John's, are 3-2 on the road this season. UConn is coming off a 70-59 loss at Providence on Wednesday.

Tip-off from Cintas Center in Cincinnati is set for noon ET. The all-time series is tied 1-1 but this will be the first meeting between the schools as members of the same conference. The Musketeers are 2.5-point favorites in the latest UConn vs. Xavier odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 135. Before making any Xavier vs. UConn picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Connecticut vs. Xavier. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Xavier vs. Connecticut:

  • Connecticut vs. Xavier spread: Xavier -2.5
  • Connecticut vs. Xavier over-under: 135 points
  • UC: The Huskies last had a winning road record in 2015-16 when they went 6-4
  • XAV: Has had seven games postponed due to COVID-19

Why Xavier can cover 

Sophomore forward Zach Freemantle has been dominant and leads the team in scoring and is seventh in the Big East averaging 15 points per game. He also leads the team and is second in the conference in rebounding at 8.1. He has reached double figures eight times this year, including a career-high 28 points on 12 of 14 shooting from the field, including a career-high four 3-pointers, in a win over Oklahoma on Dec. 9. He has connected on 14 of 42 3-pointers (33 percent) this season.

Senior guard Paul Scruggs has reached double-figure scoring in seven of Xavier's last nine games, including four of 20 or more. He is second on the team in scoring and eighth in the Big East at 14.6 points per game. He leads the Big East and is 15th in the nation in assists at six per game. He is third in the conference and 50th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.36, a big improvement over last year's 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best game was a 29-point effort against Marquette on Dec. 20.

Why UConn can cover

Sophomore guard James Bouknight, the team's leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, is expected to miss another game after having elbow surgery. Helping carry the offensive load is junior guard Tyrese Martin, who is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per game. He is hitting on 48.1 percent of his field goals, including 46.4 percent from 3-point range. He has reached double figures in nine of 12 games, including a 22-point, 10-rebound effort against DePaul on Dec. 30.

Also powering UConn is junior guard R.J. Cole, who has reached double figures in each of his last six games and in nine of 13. His best game was an 18-point performance against St. John's on Jan. 18. He also scored 17 points and dished out six assists against Central Connecticut on Nov. 25. For the season, Cole is averaging 11.2 points, four assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

How to make Xavier vs. UConn picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting both teams combine for 142 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Xavier vs. UConn? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.