The No. 21 Providence Friars (16-5, 8-2 Big East) will travel to take on the Villanova Wildcats (10-10, 4-5) Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 12 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Providence vs. Villanova odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
After losing 83-75 at Marquette on Jan. 18, Providence has won 2 straight games at home against 2 of the worst teams in the Big East. They beat DePaul 75-64, failing to cover as 13.5-point favorites, and then routed Butler 79-58, covering a 10-point spread.
Villanova comes into this game on its own 2-game winning streak with a 77-73 win over Georgetown (+13.5) followed by a 57-49 win over St. John’s as 4.5-point underdogs at Madison Square Garden.
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Providence at Villanova odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:49 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Providence -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Villanova +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Against the spread (ATS): Providence -1.5 (-110) | Villanova +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Providence at Villanova picks and predictions
Prediction
Providence 67, Villanova 60
Moneyline
PASS.
Both teams come in on 2-game winning streaks, but only 1 has shown the ability to keep the trend going. Providence is having a solid season, while Villanova needs this game to get over .500. The Friars will take down the Wildcats in this game and I do not see an upset happening for the home team. But the spread is a better value.
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Against the spread
PROVIDENCE -1.5 (-110) is the side to wager.
This is a weird line. And I might be getting sucked in. But Providence should be bigger favorites then this. Even on the road.
The Friars and Wildcats have yet to play yet this season, so it will be good to see how these teams match up. My feeling is that the Friars will use the better offense and the better defense to pull away at the end of this game. It will be close for a while. But in the end, Providence will win by 4 or 5.
Providence will use its No. 37 offense (78.8 points per game) to outscore a Villanova squad that is 201st in the nation ( 70.7 PPG).
Over/Under
UNDER 138.5 (-110) is the total play here.
The Villanova offense is struggling and will be unable to get anything going against the Providence defense. This game will remain close throughout and Providence will also not find baskets easily gotten. Another physical Big East game is in store here and I do not see either team getting out of the 60’s. So, the Under 138.5 is the correct side.
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