Providence Friars vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 1/10/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Providence Friars vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Sunday, January 10, 2021

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Providence (+3.5)

The Providence Friars (7-4) head to Cintas Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Xavier Musketeers (9-2). Providence opens this contest as 3.5-point dogs. The total opens at 140.

Providence enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 7-4 on the year. The Friars are connecting on 28.6% on shots from beyond the arc (59 of 206) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. They average 74.7 pts per contest (139th in Division 1) while going 45.1% from the floor. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.2 times per game and as a team they commit 17.3 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Providence is snagging 36.1 boards per contest and has accounted for 156 assists this season, which ranks 71st in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. When they are on defense, the Friars are able to force 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. The Friars are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.1% (285 of 646) and they surrender 34.3 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 260th in college basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 138 surrendered on the season. They give up 33.6% on 3-point attempts and they are 191st in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.0).

The Providence Friars played the Creighton Bluejays and took a loss by a final of 67-65 in their last game. Providence wrapped up the game having earned a 33.8% field goal percentage (22 out of 65) and made 9 out of their 23 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Friars buried 12 of 17 shots for a rate of 70.6%. When talking about getting rebounds, they earned 38 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 10 dimes in this matchup while getting 6 steals and 3 blocks. In terms of defending, Providence allowed the other team to shoot 33.8% from the field on 22 of 65 shooting. Creighton earned 14 assists and had 8 steals in this contest. In addition, the Bluejays snagged 31 boards (7 offensive, 24 defensive) and had 3 blocks. Creighton finished shooting 50.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 5 of their 10 shots. They buried 10 of their 29 tries from distance.

David Duke is one player who was a major contributor for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 13 points on 5 out of 19 shooting. He played for 40 minutes and pulled down 6 boards. Duke ended up going 26.3% from the field and distributed 4 assists. Someone else that had an impact in the game for the Friars was Nate Watson. He snagged 8 boards and also earned 2 assists. He finished shooting 36.4% from the floor in this matchup by connecting on 4-of-11 (13 points). Overall, Watson was on the court for 29 min.

Xavier has a win-loss mark of 9-2 for the campaign. The Musketeers have committed 15.5 fouls per game and they hit 70.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 19.0 times per game (11th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 12.1 times per game. Xavier has totaled 871 points on the campaign (79.2 per contest) and they pull down 39.6 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Musketeers are hitting on 47.6% from the field, which is ranked 72nd in college basketball. The Musketeers defensively are ranked 165th in college basketball in PPG given up with 69.3. They have surrendered 14.0 assists and 36.8 boards per contest, which is 241st and 244th in college hoops. The Xavier defense surrenders 31.0% on 3-point attempts (77 of 248) and their opponents are knocking down 76.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing their opponents into 12.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.2% from the floor (48th in D-1).

The last time they took the court, the Xavier Musketeers went home victorious with a score of 69-61 when they faced the St. John's Red Storm. The Musketeers pulled down 38 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 51 in this game. They also turned away 5 shots while recording 11 steals for the matchup. The Red Storm earned 28 personal fouls in the game which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 34 attempts. They were able to convert 21 of them for a clip of 61.8%. In terms of shooting from 3-point land, Xavier made 0 out of 12 attempts (0.0%). Overall, the Musketeers shot 24 out of 64 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.5%. The Musketeers allowed the Red Storm to convert 24 of their 67 attempts from the field which had them shooting 35.8% in this contest. They went 27.8% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 5 out of 18 and ended up going 8 out of 15 at the charity stripe (53.3%). Regarding team rebounding, Xavier allowed St. John's to snag 38 overall (8 offensive).

Colby Jones ended up being a major contributor for the Musketeers for the game. He buried 6 of 10 for the matchup for a rate of 60.0%, which had him finishing with 16 points. Jones pulled down 4 rebounds in his 28 mins and earned 3 dimes for the contest. An additional guy who was a determining factor for Xavier was Jason Carter. He was able to score 11 points in his 36 minutes on the court via 3 of 7 shooting for the matchup. Carter finished going 42.9% from the field as well as earning 2 assists and 16 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Providence (+3.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here