The Musketeers have modest expectations tonight for G Myles Davis, who makes his season debut after a prolonged suspension. Projected as the team’s top scorer and assist man, he might see limited minutes. His presence alone with lift the X-men, who have covered four in a row. ‘Nova is unbeaten at home, but high-quality visitors tend to avoid runaways. Xavier fits the bill.

The favorite -- usually Villanova -- has covered seven of the last eight meetings and Villanova rolled to a 95-64 win at home in this matchup last year. I'm going that way tonight. Villanova does everything well, and at home the Wildcats have taken it up a notch with an 81-57 margin of victory while shooting 52 percent and holding opponents to 36 percent from the field. Xavier's only road win came against a then-struggling Georgetown squad. Lay the points.