Xavier vs UConn Predictions: Guaranteed College Basketball Picks For 12/18/24

Xavier and UConn clash in a Big East matchup on Wednesday night in college basketball. Get college basketball picks for today around Xavier vs UConn clashing in a conference showdown in Hartford!

Here’s a breakdown of predictions and picks for this Big East matchup tipping off at 7:00PM ET on December 18, 2024!

Xavier vs UConn Game Details

Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT
Broadcast: FS1
Location: XL Center, Hartford, CT
Spread: UConn -13.5 | Total: 146.5

Xavier vs UConn Preview

This was setting up to be a very attractive spot for Xavier, but unfortunately, that has come crashing down because of an injury to senior center Zach Freemantle.

With wins over Baylor, Texas and Gonzaga, UConn head coach Dan Hurley is making everyone forget about his antics in the Maui Invitational in November.

In Saturday’s 77-71 win over the Bulldogs, 6-foot-10 senior center Samson Johnson was injured in the first half and will miss a few weeks.

That was shaping up to be a big injury in this matchup because the Huskies are not deep in the interior, and Freemantle is a lot to handle.

Freemantle missed all of last season, but against UConn’s 2022-23 championship team, he led the Musketeers to a pair of wins over the Huskies in the regular season.

That is no longer in the cards after Freemantle suffered a lower-body injury in Xavier’s narrow loss to Cincinnati over the weekend and will be out for a while.

Freemantle was averaging over 30 minutes per game, and he’s taken 25.9-percent of the Musketeers’ shots this season.

His absence will fundamentally change everything about this squad, and UConn is not who you want to see on your schedule when you lose your best player. Without Freemantle last season, UConn beat Xavier three times by an average of 25 points per game.

Xavier vs UConn Prediction

There is certainly going to be a time when Johnson’s absence is felt for UConn, but this specific matchup will not be it.

Xavier’s reserve center John Hugley is on his third team in three years and has made one start since December 2022.

With both starting centers out, this is going to be a guard-focused game and UConn should dominate that matchup.

The Huskies’ offense is top-15 in the country in adjusted efficiency, effective field goal shooting, two-point shooting and assist rate.

Xavier vs UConn Prediction: UConn -13.5

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