Defense meets offense when the No. 19 UConn Huskies (16-5, 5-5 Big East) play host to the No. 13 Xavier Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) Wednesday. Xavier defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 95-82 at Cintas Center on Saturday. Zach Freemantle led the way with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
The Musketeers remain first in the Big East Conference. UConn won in impressive fashion on Sunday at XL Center, beating the Butler Bulldogs 86-56.
Jordan Hawkins tallied 20 points to lead the team in scoring. With 17 points and 14 rebounds, Adama Sanogo also impressed. The Huskies are fifth in the Big East Conference.
It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Xavier will be aiming for a season sweep against UConn after triumphing in the only earlier matchup 83-73 at Cintas Center in December 2022. Freemantle led the Musketeers with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Sanogo had 18 points in defeat.
The Musketeers have been led this season by Souley Boum (16.6 ppg), Freemantle (15.4), and Jack Nunge (14.5). Freemantle also has grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game, while Boum has dished 5.1 assists per game. Sanogo (17.2 ppg) has powered the Huskies on offense. Sanogo also has averaged 7.1 rebounds per game.
Tristen Newton has doled out 4.0 assists per game. The Huskies are 19th in defensive efficiency in the NCAA, while the Musketeers rank 22nd in offensive efficiency.
Xavier is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +7.8 (84.6-76.8). UConn has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 73.1 points per game on average while holding opponents to 69.1 (+4.0 margin). The Huskies are averaging 79.3 ppg for the full season while allowing 63.5.
MUSKETEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Adam Kunkel: 20.2 | 14.1 | +6.1
KyKy Tandy: 1.0 | 3.8 | -2.7
Points per game:
Adam Kunkel: 12.4 | 9.5 | +2.9
Assists per game:
Souley Boum: 6.4 | 5.1 | +1.4
HUSKIES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Joey Calcaterra: 6.4 | 10.3 | -3.9
Points per game:
Jordan Hawkins: 17.8 | 14.0 | +3.8
Assists per game:
Tristen Newton: 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Over 151.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
