The Xavier Musketeers take on the Villanova Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Xavier Villanova prediction and pick. Find how to watch Xavier Villanova.

The Xavier Musketeers and Villanova Wildcats have both had wildly up-and-down seasons. Xavier's journey has been more difficult and bumpy, but both teams have gone through good and rough patches.

Xavier is 7-6, having lost to St. John's before beating Seton Hall in Big East play. Xavier has lost to Delaware and Washington but defeated Cincinnati. Which version of Xavier shows up on any given day has been hard to predict.

It hasn't been that different for Villanova. The Wildcats are 9-4. They have lost to Drexel, St. Joseph's, and Penn — all Big Five Philadelphia rivals — but have beaten North Carolina, Creighton, UCLA, Memphis, and Maryland. Villanova's ceiling is clearly higher than Xavier's, given all the high-end wins on the Wildcats' resume. Yet, when this team is not focused, it can be really bad, as the Drexel and Penn losses showed.

Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune has shown signs of being able to get his team to play at a high level, but the Wildcats have not yet found the level of consistency which will make them a top-tier threat in March. Villanova has to prove that it can avoid clunkers and win games it is supposed to win, such as this contest against Xavier. You will see below that Nova is a solid favorite over the Musketeers on its home floor.

Here are the Xavier-Villanova College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Xavier-Villanova Odds

Xavier Musketeers: +8.5 (-110)

Villanova Wildcats: -8.5 (-110)

Over: 141.5 (-115)

Under: 141.5 (-105)

How To Watch Xavier vs Villanova

Time: 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Xavier Could Cover the Spread

The spread is large, for one thing. In Big East play, the ferocity of competition and the “backyard battle” aspect of these clashes between familiar opponents lends itself to close games. If this is a close game, Xavier will obviously cover even if it doesn't win outright. Xavier isn't a consistently good team, but neither is Villanova. One can very reasonably say that Villanova is the hardest team to figure out in the country. Villanova was bad enough to fall behind Creighton by 14 points in a late-December Big East game, but good enough to mount a comeback and win outright in overtime. Can we know for sure which version of Villanova will show up for this game? The Wildcats need to prove they can be regularly strong before bettors give them the benefit of the doubt and put significant money on Kyle Neptune's team.

Xavier coach Sean Miller is a proven college basketball coach. He might not win, but he should be able to devise a defensive game plan which will contain Villanova and keep the game close.

Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread

The Wildcats have shown several times this season what they are capable of. Memphis, North Carolina, Creighton on the road — these are really good wins which are reflective of a team with a high ceiling. The Wildcats appeared to be in real trouble in November but had a strong December which changed the outlook for their season. Playing at home against an erratic Xavier team, Nova has the opportunity to post a strong, convincing 15-point win versus an inferior opponent.

Final Xavier-Villanova Prediction & Pick

The temptation to pick Xavier is great, but ultimately, both teams are not as consistent as a bettor would like. There's a little too much unpredictability here. Stay away and consider a live play.

Final Xavier-Villanova Prediction & Pick: Xavier +8.5