The Xavier Musketeers and Iowa Hawkeyes will face off in a non-conference matchup in college basketball on Friday. Iowa has looked sharp through two games under new leadership, while Xavier enters the contest with more questions than answers after a rough start. Here, I have broken things down around both teams and you can find my Xavier vs Iowa prediction below.
Our Xavier vs Iowa Pick
Pick: Iowa -15
Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Xavier Musketeers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
- Date & Time: Friday, November 14, 2025, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
- Broadcast: FS1
Key Storylines
- Iowa is in its first full season under coach Ben McCollum and has jumped out to a 2-0 start. They’re averaging 89.0 points per game and shooting 56.7% from the field across the two games. They have not missed a beat since moving on from Fran McCaffery thus far.
- Xavier is navigating its own rebuild with coach Richard Pitino at the helm and several transfers on board. The Musketeers are 2-1 but coming off a blowout loss at home against Santa Clara. They are averaging only 69.3 points per game and need to be more productive offensively to compete in games like this one.
- Iowa hosts this game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena where they have enjoyed dominant recent non-conference results. Xavier will be playing its first true road game of the season and their struggles could continue now that they have to navigate a hostile environment.
- In fairness, Iowa is facing its first quality program of the season in this game. They have run over Robert Morris and Western Illinois in their first two games of the year and will face more of a test against Xavier, even if the Musketeers aren’t at their best.
Betting Trends
- Xavier is 0-3 against the spread going into this game.
- The Musketeers have dropped their last four games against Big Ten opponents.
- The under has cashed in two of Xavier’s first three games.
- Iowa is 1-1 against the spread to open this season.
- The Hawkeyes are also 1-1 in the over/under market through two games.
Xavier vs Iowa Model Projection
- Win Probability: Iowa 91%, Xavier 9%.
- Score Projection: Iowa 81 – Xavier 65
Final Thoughts
The Ben McCollum era for Iowa should continue its strong start with a convincing win over Xavier on Friday night. The Musketeers have looked awful, even in their wins against smaller schools from the Northeast. I’ll lay the points with the Hawkeyes here, as they should punish the struggles of the Musketeers in Xavier’s first road game of the year.
