Villanova Wildcats vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

Cintas Center is the site where the Xavier Musketeers (13-12) will try to beat the Villanova Wildcats (20-5) on Tuesday.

The Villanova Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against Creighton and took home the win by a score of 80-69 in their last game. Villanova walked away from the game having earned a 46.2% FG percentage (30 out of 65) and converted 6 of 21 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 14 of 19 tries for a percentage of 73.7%. In relation to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 38 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 14 assists in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. With respect to defending, Villanova allowed the other team to go 41.5% from the floor on 27 of 65 shooting. Creighton distributed 16 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Creighton collected 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Creighton ended up going 58.3% from the free throw line by making 7 of 12 tries. They also made 8 out of their 27 tries from distance. Concerning personal fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 16 and Creighton finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Duke Brennan is someone who had an impact in this game. He ended up shooting 88.9% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 32 mins and grabbed 12 rebounds. He walked away with 21 points on 8 of 9 shooting.

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Villanova will play this game with a record of 20-5 for the year. They average 77.8 points per contest (139th in Division 1) while shooting 46.0% from the field. The Wildcats are shooting 36.2% from downtown (246 of 679) and 69.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Villanova is grabbing 35.6 boards per game and has 379 assists for the season, which is 147th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 10.2 times per game and as a team are committing 16.0 fouls every game.

On defense, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.0 fouls. They relinquish 33.5% on three-point shots and they are 68th in college in PPG allowed (69.1). The Wildcats are allowing a FG percentage of 44.1% (630 of 1,429) and they surrender 34.0 boards per game as a squad. They are 98th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 321 relinquished so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Xavier Musketeers went home victorious with a score of 96-88 against Marquette. Regarding rebounds, Xavier allowed Marquette to grab 32 overall (9 on the offensive side). They finished 32.0% from three-point range via 8 out of 25 and ended up shooting 8 out of 11 at the charity stripe (72.7%). The Musketeers permitted Marquette to make 36 of 70 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.4% in this game. Overall, the Musketeers went 31 for 67 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.3%. In relation to shooting from distance, Xavier made 16 of 34 attempts (47.1%). They were able to bury 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 85.7%. Marquette was called for 15 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Musketeers to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They also turned it over 7 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Musketeers were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for this contest.

Jovan Milicevic was important for the Musketeers in this game. He knocked down 8 of 13 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood, but didn't get an assist.

Xavier has a win-loss record of 13-12 on the year. The Musketeers commit 17.9 fouls per contest and they shoot 70.7% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 17.9 times per game (19th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 10.1 times per contest. Xavier has tallied 1,944 pts for the season (77.8 per game) and they collect 34.8 boards per game. As an offense, the Musketeers are hitting on 43.8% from the field, which has them ranked 269th in the nation.

The Xavier defense gives up 34.1% from downtown (182 of 534) and opponents are making 68.6% of their foul shots. They surrender 18.4 assists and 38.4 rebounds every game, ranking them 363rd and 343rd in college hoops. The Musketeers defensively are ranked 301st in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 78.5. They are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.0% from the field (318th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Xavier and under the total points

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