Two teams looking to improve their Big East standings face off as Villanova visits Xavier. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Villanova-Xavier prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Villanova comes into the game sitting at 12-10 on the year, and 5-6 in conference play. Still, it has been a struggle as of late for them. After starting conference play 4-1, with wins over Creighton, DePaul twice, and Xavier, they would lose five straight. Many of them were close games, with a seven and a five-point loss to Maquette, plus a one-point loss to UCONN. Last time out, they did rebound. Villanova beat Providence by 18, controlling the game, and leading the last 30 minutes of the contest.

Meanwhile, Xavier is 12-10 on the year and 6-5 in conference play. Like Villanova, there have been some recent struggles. After beating Georgetown by just one, they would lose to Crioeghton. Then thye would lose by 43 points to UCONN, as they allowed UCONN to score 99 points on them. Still, they have rebounded, beating St. John's and DePaul in the last two games. The last time the two teams faced, Villanova held the lead for most of the game, but Xavier kept cutting the lead to just one in the final three minutes. Still, Xavier could not get the lead on the road and would fall 66-65.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Villanova-Xavier Odds

Villanova: +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +116

Xavier: -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -142

Over: 144.5 (-115)

Under: 144.5 (-105)

How to Watch Villanova vs. Xavier 

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: FS1

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Villanova Will Cover The Spread/Win

Villanova sits 39th in the nation's KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are sitting 57th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 167th in the nation in scoring this year, while sitting in the 19th in three-point attempts per game, and 33rd in three-pointers made per game this year. Eric Dixon leads the offense this year. He comes in with 15.9 points per game on the year while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. He also has hit 32 of 88 threes this year. Meanwhile, both Justin Moore and TJ Bamba have both shot over 60 three-pointers this year. Moore comes in with 10.5 points per game this year, while also having 2.3 assists per game of the season. Bamba also has 10.5 points per game, while shooting 37.8 percent from three of the season.

Villanova sits 135th in the nation in rebounding this year. Still, they are 22nd in the nation in defensive rebounding rate this year. The combination of Eric Dixon and Tyler Burton leads the way here. Burton leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game this year while adding 8.5 points per game this year. He has been dominant on the defensive glass, with 119 of his 156 rebounds coming there. Dixon has 6.4 rebounds per game and has been solid on the offensive glass, with 54 of his 141 rebounds coming there.

On defense, Villanova is 57th in the nation in opponent points per game. While Villanova does not cause a lot of turnovers, sitting 255th in the nation in opponent turnovers, they do not turn. over the ball a lot either, sitting 33rd in the nation in that regard. Jordan Longino and Mark Armstrong lead the team in steals this year, both coming in with .9 steals per game this year.

Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win

Xavier sits 37th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 48th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 39th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Xavier is 69th in the nation in points per game, but they are 220th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Quincy Olivari leads Xavier. Olivari comes in averaging 19.1 points per game this year while shooting 44.3 percent from the field this year. Further, he shoots 15.4 percent from three this year. Furthermore, Desmond Calude has been solid with 16.2 points per game this year. He is also shooting 41.4 percent from the field this year. Rounding out the top scorers this year is Dayvion McKnight. He has 11.7 points per game this year but is also the leader in dishing the rock. He comes in with 4.9 assists per game this year.

Xavier is 13th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. Still, they are 224th in defensive rebound percentage this year but are 86th in the nation in offensive rebounding rate. This is led by Abou Ousmane. He comes in with 6.6 rebounds per game this year, and 80 of his 226 rebounds come on the offensive rebounding side this year. Also helping out is Quincy Olivary, who comes in with 5.1 rebounds per game this year. Further, Gytis Nemeiksa comes in with 5.0 rebounds per game this year.

Xavier ranks 190th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, but they are 51st in opponent effective field goal percentage this year. Dayvion McKnight has 1.5 steals per game this year while being one of four players this year with one steal or more per game. Quincy Olivari comes in with 1.2 steals per game as well, while Abou Ousmane comes in with 1.3 blocks per game this season.

Final Villanova-Xavier Prediction & Pick

This is going to be an amazing game to watch. Both teams need a win desperately, and both teams have bounced back from recent struggles. Villanova has the better defense statistically, but a major part of that is tempo. They play at a slower pace overall, which helps the defense. Efficiency-wise, they are almost identical. Xavier does have a slightly better offense, and the difference in this game may be playing at home. They lost on the road, consistently getting within a point, but failing to take the lead. That is something that will not happen at home. The prediction for this Villanova-Xavier game is that the home court will be the difference in a higher-scoring affair.

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Final Villanova-Xavier Prediction & Pick: Xavier ML (-142)  and Over 144.5 (-115)