UConn vs Xavier prediction, pick, College Basketball odds
01/24/2025 02:54 PM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UConn-Xavier prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UConn-Xavier.
The UConn Huskies are highly unlikely to win another college basketball national championship this season. It’s hard enough to win one, exponentially harder to win back-to-back titles. UConn did that. Winning three in a row, though, is difficult beyond measure. There’s a reason this has happened so rarely in men’s college basketball history. UCLA, in the heart of the John Wooden dynasty, is the only men’s college basketball program to pull this off. Several teams in college basketball history have won back-to-back championships, but that third one is overwhelmingly hard for obvious reasons. In a sport where players generally don’t play more than three or four years, a two-year run at the top of the sport generally exhausts a superstar core’s tenure. Players are either ready to graduate, go to the NBA, or both. The 2007 Florida team wasn’t able to bring its core back for a three-peat bid in 2008. Duke wasn’t fully stocked in 1993 after its two straight titles in 1991 and 1992. Bill Russell moved to the NBA after winning back-to-back championships with the San Francisco Dons in the mid-1950s. The one non-UCLA team to come very, very close to a college basketball three-peat was Cincinnati. The Bearcats won it all in 1961 and 1962 and lost the 1963 title game in a thriller to Loyola Chicago.
UConn lost its best players from last season. The 2025 Huskies are solid, decent team, but nothing resembling the juggernaut we witnessed in March Madness each of the last two seasons. This is a year in which coach Dan Hurley has to do more with less against a Big East eager to take the Huskies down. Xavier played UConn close earlier this season and now gets a second shot at the defending champions.
Here are the UConn-Xavier College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: UConn-Xavier Odds
UConn: -1.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -113
Xavier: +1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -106
Over: 145.5 (-105)
Under: 145.5 (-115)
How to Watch UConn vs Xavier
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: Fox
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why UConn Will Cover The Spread/Win
UConn isn’t dominating games, but the Huskies are always going to be a tough out even with some of their injury-based roster limitations. Dan Hurley is an elite coach who can use the adversity this team is going through as a driver for the Huskies in every future game they play. UConn is not to be discounted in this or any other situation.
Xavier just blew a 16-point lead to St. John’s and lost in overtime. The draining nature of that game might leave Xavier overcooked and spent for this game versus UConn. The fact that Xavier lost might mentally deflate the Musketeers. There are plenty of reasons to like UConn in this game.
Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win
Xavier is playing very competitive basketball, win or lose. Xavier lost to UConn in overtime on the road earlier this season. It just lost in overtime to St. John’s, also on the road. Getting this game at home in Cincinnati could be the one thing which tilts the balance of power to Xavier in this game. The Musketeers will give UConn everything they have, and it might be enough to win.
Final UConn-Xavier Prediction & Pick
This game looks and feels like a total coin flip. It is also priced as one by the betting markets. Pass.
Final UConn-Xavier Prediction & Pick: UConn -1.5
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