Indiana vs Xavier Predictions and Odds (Nov. 18)

• Indiana visits Xavier on Friday, November 18th in College Basketball action
• Both Indiana and Xavier are off to perfect starts early in this season
• Check out the Indiana vs Xavier odds, picks and prediction below

It’s an early season matchup between two of the best from the Big Ten and Big East conferences when the Indiana Hoosiers (2-0, 2-0 ATS) visit the Xavier Musketeers (3-0, 1-2 ATS) on Friday, November 18th. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 6:00 pm ET from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

This will easily be the toughest test to date for either squad. Xavier won their first three games by a combined 58 points, while the Hoosiers defeated Bethune-Cookman by 52 in their last contest. The Hoosiers are slight -1.5 point favorites in the college basketball odds for this game and are right on the cusp of the top 10 in the NCAA rankings.

Indiana vs Xavier Odds

Odds as of November 17th at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to bet on college hoops.

Oddsmakers have basically declared this one a pick’em with the lower ranked Musketeers spurred on by their home crowd. As slight -122 moneyline favorites, Indiana have an implied win probability of 54.95% while Xavier sits at 49.5% with odds of +102.

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Indiana Hoosiers Explosive Offense

Yes, the competition Indiana has faced so far is not up to snuff, but still the amount of points they’ve put up is quite impressive. The Hoosiers are averaging 94.5 points per game from those first two outings while shooting an astounding 59.7% from the field. It’s the makings of a team to consider in the odds to win the NCAA tournament.

Everyone is fitting into their offensive roles quite nicely, with forward, Trayce Jackson-Davis leading the way offensively with 18 points per game. Expect those totals to go up for the 6’9 senior as he’s only averaging 22 minutes per game while dealing with a thumb injury.

Trayce Jackson-Davis is a freak. pic.twitter.com/f9zQer9f1l

— BPA – Brasil Prospects Analyst 🏀 (@_BrasilDraft) November 9, 2022

Indiana are proving to be no slouches on the defensive side of the ball as well. In fact, their D has been even more impressive than the offense. According to the KenPom rankings, the Hoosiers rank 8th in adjusted defensive efficiency in the entire nation and are third in the country in defensive rebounds per game.

A telling test in this one will be watching how Indiana guards the perimeter. Xavier has shot the lights out from beyond the arc so far, at 45.5%, while the Hoosiers have held opponents to just 26.7% from long distance. Friday night in Cincinnati, something will have to give and it will be interesting to see each coach’s tactical approach.

Xavier Musketeers Betting Analysis

What’s old again is new again at Xavier as Sean Miller is back in charge as head coach. Miller returned to the job he previously held for 5 years after a 12-season stint at Arizona that ended with his termination following academic misconduct allegations against the program.

It was surely a disappointment for Xavier when they didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament last year, but they didn’t hang their heads. Instead, the squad from Cincinnati rolled through its competition en route to a thrilling last-second 73-32 win against Texas A&M in the NIT finals.

XAVIER WINS THE NIT CHAMPIONSHIP ON THIS GAME WINNER 😱 pic.twitter.com/05bgdae1gj

— ESPN (@espn) April 1, 2022

Early this season under Miller, the Musketeers are absolutely shooting the lights out. They’re shooting 55.6% from the field and 45.5% from long range. Graduate student Jack Nunge has made an impact off the hop, averaging 18 points per game in his final go around as a Musketeer.

Junior guard Colby Jones, the reigning NIT most outstanding player, has picked up where he left off. He’s leading the team with 7 dimes per game while also contributing 13.5 ppg. Jones proved to be clutch last year when he averaged a team-high 14.8 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game during Xavier’s NIT title run.

Indiana vs Xavier Prediction

There’s a lot to look forward to in this matchup as one of these teams will be undefeated no more after this contest. Indiana are deservedly the chalk, but one has to wonder if they might be rusty. This will be there first game since demolishing Bethune-Cookman 101-49 over a week ago.

2022-23 KenPom College Basketball Rankings

The thumb injury to Jackson-Davis, has to be a bit of a cause for concern as well. Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson has said it’s a pain tolerance thing that his best player has to deal with while playing with a pretty heavy wrap on his right hand.

Those are a couple of the reasons we like Xavier to keep this one close and maybe steal a victory from a higher ranked opponent. Home court also gives them an edge as they went 16-5 at the Cintas Center last season and just 7-8 away from home.

The Musketeers are no slouches and a win in the Friday college basketball odds over Indiana would definitely give Xavier the confidence to play with anybody in the country. We like the underdogs to win outright so pick Xavier to score a minor upset as our best bet.

Pick: Xavier Moneyline (+102)