Villanova Wildcats vs. Xavier Musketeers Odds, College Basketball Betting Pick

The most highly anticipated men's college basketball rematch of the season will take place 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Cincinnati, where the fourth-ranked Xavier Musketeers host the third-ranked Villanova Wildcats in a near pick'em. The two Big East schools are fighting for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and the Wildcats won their first meeting 89-65 on January 10.

Point spread: The Wildcats opened as one-point favorites; the total is at 165.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College basketball betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 82.8-77.7, Wildcats (College basketball picks on every game)

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Why the Wildcats can cover the spread

Villanova (23-3) has dominated this series lately, winning each of the past three meetings and nine of the last 10 between the teams both straight up and against the spread, according to the OddsShark college basketball database.

While the Wildcats have struggled a bit recently in losing two of their last three overall, their previous seven wins over the Musketeers have all been decided by double digits. In the last one, Villanova made 55.2 percent of its shots (32 of 58) and held Xavier to 41.4 percent (24 of 58).

Why the Musketeers can cover the spread

The leading scorer when these teams met in Philadelphia last month is out with a broken hand; Phil Booth totaled 21 points for the Wildcats with five three-pointers. The Musketeers (24-3) have not lost since then, reeling off nine consecutive wins while going 7-2 ATS.

Xavier's last win in this series also came at home nearly two years ago in a similar situation, with the team topping Villanova 90-83 despite being a one-point underdog. The Musketeers obviously know a top seed in the Big Dance is within reach based on their ranking, but they do need to beat the Wildcats.

Smart betting pick

The Big East has proved to be one of the top conferences in the country this season and could get six or more schools into the tourney. Two of them (the Providence Friars and Butler Bulldogs) have upset Villanova, while the St. John's Red Storm may have pulled off the shocker of the season with a 79-75 road win over the Wildcats as 16-point underdogs on February 7.

Villanova is simply not the same team without Booth, so look for Xavier to take advantage of his absence and earn another rare win in this matchup.

College basketball betting trends

Villanova is 6-3 ATS in its last nine games.

The total has gone over in six of Villanova's last seven games.

Xavier is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games.

All college basketball odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.