No. 15 Villanova vs No. 11 Providence Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Villanova Wildcats have won eight of their last ten games.
• The Providence Friars are on an 8-game winning streak.
• Providence is coming off a 76-73 overtime win against unranked DePaul.

No. 15 Villanova Wildcats vs No. 11 Providence Friars Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook

No. 15 Villanova Wildcats vs No. 11 Providence Friars Predictions and Picks

Two of the Big East’s best will face each other in this game. The Villanova Wildcats are having another excellent season and have won eight of their last ten games. Interestingly, their last two losses have both been against Marquette. The Providence Friars are having a surprisingly good season. They have won their last eight and nine of their last ten. Their last loss was also against Marquette.

To no one’s surprise, the Villanova Wildcats are one of the country’s best teams. They are having a very impressive offensive with four players (Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Jermaine Samuels, and Eric Dixon) scoring ten or more points a game. Gillespie and Moore are averaging a combined 31.4 points a game. Villanova’s one big flaw is that they do not pass very much. They only average 12.6 assists per game and their leading passer, Collin Gillespie, only averages 2.9 assists per game.

The Providence Friars are one of the surprises of the season. Some preseason polls picked the Friars to finish 7th in the Big East, but they have surprised the conference and are sitting at first. They do not have one star on the team, but their two leading scorers, Nate Watson and Al Durham, are both averaging over 13 points a game. Providence does not have one seven-footer, but they are a pretty big team with a few good rebounders.

Pick:

Villanova beats Providence 71-66. Villanova covers, Over 130.5 points.

Why Might the Villanova Wildcats Win?

Villanova may be the favorites to win this game, but they will have a battle on their hands. If they want to pull out the victory, they have to win the rebound battle and slow down Jared Bynum.

Villanova is a smaller team than Providence. However, they only average 1.8 less rebounds per game than Providence. They need to outrebound Providence to limit their scoring opportunities. Typically they team with more rebounds wins the game, so it is imperative that Villanova wins the rebounds battle.

Providence’s Jared Bynum has been a monster the last three games. Bynum only averages 11.6 points per game but is averaging 25.3 points per game over the last three. Villanova needs to be aware of this and try to take him out of the offensive picture. Bynum will probably still have a good game, but Villanova can slow him down.

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Why Might the Providence Friars Win?

Providence is the underdog, but they have home-court advantage and a solid roster. They need focus on creating turnovers and attacking the rim.

Providence averages 6.4 steals per game. That is not very many steals, but it is important that they focus on it more this game. This will be difficult because Villanova only turns the ball over 9.8 times per game. Providence needs to figure out how to cut off passing lanes and create turnovers.

Providence is the bigger team in this matchup. While they do shoot the ball well from outside, they need to take advantage of their size and look inside for shots. They will be able to get a lot of easy points if they look inside.

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Wildcats Key Player: (G) Justin Moore

Senior guard Collin Gillespie has been receiving a lot of attention for his play this year, but his backcourt teammate, Justin Moore, has been having a similarly good season. Moore leads his team in minutes per game (34) and steals per game (1.3). He is also second in scoring with 15.2 points, grabs five rebounds a game, and shoots pretty well from the field.

Moore is a versatile player and solid wing defender. The junior from Maryland is building off a pretty good season last year. This year, he is shooting a little better from behind the three-point line and averaging 2.3 more points per game.

Moore is Villanova’s x-factor because he can do so much. Providence needs to account for him on both sides of the floor.

Friars Key Player: (F) Noah Horchler

Forward Noah Horchler is a unique player. He is 6’8” and plays an impressive 31.8 minutes per game.; forwards do not typically have the stamina to play that much.

Horchler puts up solid numbers and averages 9.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He also shoots an astounding 42.3% from behind the three-point line.

Horchler is a versatile scorer and does the dirty work and gets rebounds. He is a team player that does what is asked of him. Villanova needs to limit his rebounds this game.

How to Watch No. 15 Villanova Wildcats vs No. 11 Providence Friars