Wisconsin aims for payback on Tuesday when it visits Xavier in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, the annual Big Ten versus Big East challenge. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. ET from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. The Musketeers handled the Badgers 80-70 in this event last year, part of a stunning 14-2 against the spread run for Xavier when facing Big Ten opponents. Sportsbooks list the Badgers as 1.5-point favorites Tuesday, with the over-under for total points scored set at 145 in the latest Wisconsin vs. Xavier odds. Before locking in your own Wisconsin vs. Xavier picks, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two seasons, the SportsLine Projection Model returned over $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated selections. And it entered the week on a 6-3 run on top-rated college basketball picks. Anyone who has followed it is up big.
We can tell you the model is leaning Over for Tuesday, but it also has an extremely strong Wisconsin vs. Xavier spread pick that cashes in a whopping 74 percent of simulations. You can only see it at SportsLine.
The model knows Wisconsin was picked to finish sixth in its 14-team conference, with experts expecting significant improvement from a Badgers squad that missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in 20 years. Six-foot-10 senior Ethan Happ (17.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.7 apg) anchors the middle and started off with a triple-double in Wisconsin's 85-63 season-opening win over Coppin State. He's nearly impossible to defend in the post.
Like Happ, every key contributor is back for the Badgers, who were devastated by injuries in last year's 15-18 campaign. If the Badgers stay healthy, they're a virtual lock to finish in the upper tier of the brutally tough Big Ten.
But just because the Badgers appear primed for a bounce-back season doesn't mean they'll cover on the road against 2-0 Xavier.
Despite losing their coach and five major contributors, the Musketeers should contend for another NCAA Tournament berth under new coach Travis Steele after reloading with graduate transfers. Ryan Welage came over from San Jose State and is averaging 14.5 points while shooting over 41 percent from deep.
Junior guard Quentin Goodin returned from a back injury to score 14 points in 15 minutes of Xavier's last game, a 91-85 win over Evansville. Goodin ranked third in the Big East with 4.9 assists per game last season, and he's helping the massive influx of talent mesh.
So which side of Wisconsin vs. Xavier do you need to jump on Tuesday? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Wisconsin vs. Xavier spread is hitting in 74 percent of computer simulations, all from the model that has crushed college hoops.
