#15 Villanova vs #11 Providence Odds, Preview & Analysis College Basketball

#15 Villanova vs #11 Providence | Odds, Preview & Analysis College Basketball

Potentially the Big East regular-season title is on the line Tuesday night when No. 15 Villanova visits No. 11 Providence – those rankings may change on Monday. The Friars are likely to be short home favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Villanova at Providence NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

Last Meeting

This is the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last year, they split. The one at Providence was a 54-52 upset victory by the Friars. Nate Watson and David Duke were the driving forces in the win, with 20 points each. Noah Horchler finished with a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds. Jermaine Samuels led the way for the Wildcats with 21 points. Providence finished 22-55 (40.0%) from the field, 5-20 (25.0%) from three, and 5-9 (55.6%) from the free throw line. Villanova finished 17-52 (32.7%) from the field, 4-18 (22.2%) from three, and 14-23 (60.9%) from the free throw line.

Why Bet on Villanova?

Villanova (19-6) won its third in a row Saturday, 73-67 over Seton Hall. The Wildcats’ hopes for a Big East regular season championship — an eighth one since the conference was realigned in 2013-14 — will depend on how it does in the games against Providence. The Friars presently hold a two-game lead in the loss column over the Wildcats.

Jermaine Samuels and Justin Moore each scored 16 points to lead Villanova. Moore (left ankle) and star Collin Gillespie (right ankle) both continued to play through sprains. Moore scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half while Gillespie grabbed a critical offensive rebound inside the final minute. Gillespie is part of the Midseason Team for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year award.

“Those two just gutted it out,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “And that resulted in a great team effort.”

It’s the 54th consecutive week in which the Wildcats have been ranked in the AP poll, trailing only Gonzaga for the longest current streak (109 straight weeks). Gillespie has now appeared in 143 games as a Wildcat while Samuels has seen action in 140 games since arriving in 2017. The record for games played at Villanova is held by Phil Booth, who saw action in 148 from 2014-19.

Villanova is 5-4 this season (.555) when facing the Associated Press Top 25. Villanova is 18-18 (.500) all-time at the Dunkin Donuts (Providence Civic Center). The Wildcats’ Adjusted Offensive Efficiency number is 117.7 points per 100 possessions (No. 7 in the country). VU’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency rating is 92.1 points per 100 possessions, which ranks No. 21 in the nation.

Why Bet on Providence?

Providence won its eighth in a row Saturday, 76-73 in OT over DePaul. The Blue Demons were up as many as 13 in the second half. DePaul only scored one basket over the final 5:12 of the second half, but it was a timely one: a game-tying turnaround jumper by Nick Ongenda with 20.3 seconds remaining to force overtime. DePaul’s leading scorer missed his seventh straight game as guard Javon Freeman-Liberty remains out with a groin injury. A two-time Big East player of the week, Freeman-Liberty is averaging 21 points per game.

With the win, the Friars improved to 21-2 overall for the first time since the 1972-73 season and 11-1 in Big East play for the first time in program history. Junior Jared Bynum led the Friars in scoring for the third consecutive game, recording 25 points. Bynum added a game-high six assists and also chipped in with seven rebounds. Al Durham and Nate Watson each contributed 16 points for the Friars. Durham was perfect from the free throw line, shooting 12-12.

The Friars have won eight consecutive Big East regular season games in the same season for the first time in program history. When the new AP Top 25 is released Monday, Providence likely will move inside the AP’s Top 10 for the first time since 2016.

Durham ranks third in the nation in free-throws made and seventh in the nation in attempts. The Friars have a team record of five graduate students on the roster this season. The average age of the Friars’ top seven players is 23.0 years.

PC has a 127-271 (.319) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 4-0 mark this season. Providence has posted Quad 1 wins at Wisconsin, at home versus Texas Tech, at UConn, at Xavier and at home versus Marquette this year.

Expert Prediction

  • Providence 68, Villanova 65
 
 

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