UConn vs. Xavier prediction, odds: 2022 college basketball picks, Dec. 31 best bets by proven model

Connecticut Huskies and Xavier Musketeers are playing at the Cintas Center on Saturday at noon ET. The Husky's are second in the Big East and are 3-0 in league play. Xavier is 11-3 and won their seventh in a row on Wednesday with an 84-79 victory at St. John's. This will be the sixth meeting between the schools with UConn holding a 3,2 edge in this series.

SportsLine's computer model has picked Connecticut vs. Xavier. The spread is 2.5 points. There is a money line of 140 points between Connecticut and Xavier, and the over/under is 149 points

UConn vs. Xavier is a college basketball game. The Huskies are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games against a team with a winning % above .600. Xavier is 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 games vs a straight-up team.

Tristen Newton is averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 assists and 4,2 rebounds per game for UConn. Alex Karaban has started 13 of 14 games this season and is coming off a 15-point, six-rebound effort against Villanova on Wednesday.

Xavier is off to a fast start in the conference. Senior guard Souley Boum has reached double-figure scoring in 12 consecutive games. Jack Nunge has started all 14 games this season. He is averaging 15.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 3. 9 rebounds and 14 steals per game.

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total. It projects 151 combined points for Xavier and UConn. One side of the spread hits well over 60% of time.