Villanova battles Xavier in Cincinnati on Tuesday night | Villanova vs. Xavier Preview

CINCINNATI, OH—After a loss to St. John’s on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Villanova looks to get back into the win column against Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Wildcats have dominated the all-time series against the Musketeers and hope to add another win tonight.

Villanova lost its first game since December 21^st on Saturday against the Red Storm. St. Johns defeated Villanova, 80-68. Eric Dixon had one of his most inefficient games of the season with 18 points. He was six-for-19 from the field. Wooga Poplar led the Wildcats with 22 points. Villanova was outscored, 19-7, in the final four minutes of the contest.

Villanova suffered its second conference loss of the season on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Dixon, the leading scorer in the country with 25.3 points per game, enters tonight’s contest with 1,903 points. He ranks 11^th on Villanova’s all-time scoring list. He needs 19 points to pass Josh Hart. Hart scored 1,921 points as a Wildcat.

The Wildcats have won eight of their last ten contests, including four of their first six conference games. They are 11-6 in 2024-25.

Xavier has won 10 of its 17 contests in 2024-25. The Musketeers are just 2-4 in conference play. Despite the poor record against Big East teams, Xavier has played well against some of the best teams in the conference, including UConn, Marquette, and St. John’s.

Xavier’s four conference losses came against UConn, Marquette, Georgetown, and St. John’s. Three of those four games were decided by six points or less. Xavier’s only double-digit conference loss was on January 7th against St. John’s.

Xavier defeated DePaul, 77-63, in Chicago on Saturday. Freemantle scored 20 points with 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. The Musketeers made 45% of their three-point attempts.

According to Kenpom.com, Xavier is ranked 53^rd in the country. They are 53^rd in offensive efficiency and 61^stin defensive efficiency.

Xavier’s Powerful Trio: Freemantle, Conwell, and McKnight

The Musketeers average 79 points per contest. They convert 46% of their field goals and 39% of their three-point attempts. Zach Freemantle, a fifth-year forward from Teaneck, NJ, leads Xavier’s offense with 17.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He did not play last season with a left foot injury that required surgery.

Freemantle also missed three games in mid-December with a knee injury. He returned on January 3^rd against Georgetown. In his last three games, he has averaged 19.3 points.

Ryan Conwell, a junior guard from Indianapolis, IN, has stepped up as Xavier’s second-leading scorer this season. Conwell is a transfer from Indiana State, where he averaged 16 points in 38 games last season. He played his freshman season with the University of South Florida. Conwell averages 16.1 points in his first year with the Musketeers. He is one of their best three-point shooters, converting at a 40% success rate.

Dayvion McKnight, a fifth-year guard from Shelbyville, KY, averages more than 10 points per game. However, he was one-for-six from the field against DePaul with five points. McKnight averaged 12 points per game last season with Xavier after transferring from Western Kentucky.

Xavier has scored at least 70 points in five of its last six games. The Freemantle, Conwell, and McKnight trio makes Xavier’s offense hard to contain. However, the Musketeers’ defense does struggle, especially in conference play.

Xavier’s Defensive Issues in Conference Play

The Musketeers have allowed an average of 75 points per game to their opponents in conference play this season. Big East teams are making 44% of their field goals against Xavier. However, Xavier has limited conference rivals to a 31% success rate from behind the arc. Xavier’s three-point defense struggled in non-conference play.

Xavier’s offense limits turnovers, but the Musketeers also have difficulty forcing turnovers. They average 11 forced turnovers per contest. Xavier averages only two blocks per game this season.

‘Cats’ must rebound better in Cincinnati

Despite some defensive issues, Xavier is a good rebounding team led by Freemantle. The Musketeers average 35.2 rebounds per contest. Freemantle accumulates more than seven rebounds per game. In addition to Freemantle, Dailyn Swain is one of Xavier’s best rebounders, with five rebounds per contest.

St. John’s controlled the rebounding battle with 44 rebounds compared to Villanova’s 28 rebounds on Saturday. If Villanova wants to win its second road game of the season, the Wildcats must rebound better in Cincinnati.

Xavier started its season with six consecutive wins. However, since November 27^th, the Musketeers are 4-7. Xavier has won eight of its 10 home games in 2024-25.

All-Time Series

Villanova leads the all-time series, 34-8, against Xavier. The Wildcats split the series last season with the Musketeers. They are 7-3 at the Cintas Center since Xavier joined the conference in 2013-14. Villanova’s head coach, Kyle Neptune, is 2-2 against Xavier in his coaching career.

Game Info

Tonight’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Cintas Center. WXVU will not have live game coverage, but there will be social media updates. The game can also be watched on FS1.