Overview
- Tipoff is set for Saturday at 4 p.m. EST at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati.
- Xavier is 9-7 (1-4 Big East) on a three-game slide after a 66-65 loss at Marquette, and Providence is 8-7 (1-3) following a 103-98 home overtime loss to UConn after leading by 13.
- BetMGM lists Providence as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 167.5.
- Tre Carroll leads Xavier at 15.8 points per game, while Providence’s Jason Edwards paces the Friars at about 17.3; Providence scores 89.5 per game and allows 84.1.
- Xavier has topped 70 points only twice in five league games, and coaches Richard Pitino and Kim English have emphasized confidence and late-game execution after recent setbacks.