The Villanova vs. Xavier live stream online and televised 2016 NCAA basketball game arrives on Wednesday night, pitting two top five teams against one another from the Big East. As of right now, the Wildcats continue to hold the No. 1 overall spot in the Top 25, with their conference rivals, the Xavier Musketeers, holding the No. 5 spot. Both teams are projected to be top seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament, but could tonight’s game shift the dynamics of their seeding or other teams in terms of where they’re ranked? The 2016 NCAA live streaming online and televised basketball matchup comes via Fox Sports networks on Wednesday.
An ESPN.com report on Feb. 24 notes that if Xavier gets the upset win tonight it would be the first time they’ve defeated Villanova in Big East play. It would also help keep the Musketeers’ hopes of winning the regular-season league title for the first time in school history. Both teams come into this matchup with 24-3 overall records but Xavier is 12-3 in conference, while the Wildcats have lost only once. Xavier is 0-6 all-time in Big East play against Villanova, with the most recent defeat coming back on Dec. 31. That was a 95-64 rout when Xavier was ranked No. 6 and Villanova at No. 16 in the nation. They now come in as a pair of top five teams, with Nova considered the best in the country.
The Wildcats currently lead the conference by 1-1/2 games over Xavier. They’re on a seven-game winning streak including their recent 10 point victory against Butler. Villanova is getting it done with solid defensive play, ranking No. 8 in the nation in terms of points allowed by their opponents, as they give up just 61.5 points per game on average. In their last two games, the opponent has scored 67 points each, but Nova won each of those by double digits. The Musketeers have won their last three games including an 85-74 home win over then-No. 23 Providence, and more recently an 88-70 victory over Georgetown on the road.
Vegas odds makers have the Villanova Wildcats as just one-point favorites heading into tonight’s game, with the over/under points total around 145 to 146 points at various books. In terms of beating the point spread, Villanova is 15-12 overall ATS, 15-11-0 as the favorite and 6-4-0 when playing on the road. The Musketeers are 17-10 overall ATS, 2-1 as an underdog and 8-7 when playing at home. Both teams are listed on the future odds list as potential NCAA Champions this season with Villanova at 12 to 1 and Xavier at 14 to 1 odds to win it all.
Wednesday night’s Villanova vs. Xavier game goes live starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The television coverage of this NCAA basketball matchup is available on Fox Sports 1 around the United States. To watch Villanova vs. Xavier live streaming online, viewers will need to log into the Fox Sports Go mobile apps or website, with their cable or satellite account credentials. Live audio commentary for tonight’s game is available to Sirius XM Satellite Radio listeners on channel 84 starting at 7 p.m. ET.
