Xavier vs Villanova 3/15/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Xavier Musketeers will play the Villanova Wildcats in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Musketeers defeated the Creighton Bluejays 63-61 on Thursday to advance to the semis. Zach Hankins led the Musketeers with 22 including a tip-in that put Xavier ahead for good with just 21 seconds remaining.

Villanova punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 73-62 win over Providence Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats were led by Eric Paschall with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The game was close throughout but Villanova eventually pulled away over the second 10 minutes of the second half. Naji Marshall is the leading scorer with an average of 14.9 points per game. Tyrique Jones leads the Musketeers in rebounding with an average of 7.8 per game. Quentin Goodin is the leader in assists with an average of 4.7 per game. Xavier is shooting 47.0% from the field and 34.0% from 3-point territory.

Phil Booth leads the Wildcats in scoring and assists with averages of 18.3 points and 3.9 assists per game. Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree leads in rebounds with an average of 6.1 per game. Villanova is shooting 44.0% from the field and 35.0% from 3-point territory.