The St. Joseph’s Hawks (0-3) visit the Villanova Wildcats (6-1) in a Saturday night contest at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. Below, we analyze the St. Joseph’s-Villanova college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Villanova is No. 6 in the Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
St. Joseph’s at Villanova: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: There was no line posted at the time of publishing.
- Against the spread/ATS: St. Joseph’s +22.5 (-110) | Villanova -22.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 151.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
St. Joseph’s at Villanova: Three things to know
- The Wildcats have won four in a row since dropping a Nov. 28 game to Virginia Tech (81-73). Over the four victories, Villanova has averaged 11.5 3-pointers per game (39% 3-point accuracy) and just 7.5 turnovers per game. Senior G Collin Gillespie has averaged 14.5 points and 4.3 assists per game during the win streak.
- ‘Nova had been preparing for a Saturday battle against No. 16 Virginia in New York City, but COVID-19 issues with the Cavaliers forced the game to be canceled. The stand-in game does have some cache, though. Villanova and SJU — an annual rivalry known as the “Holy War” — had been scheduled for Nov. 30, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 problems within the Hawks’ program. The Wildcats have won eight straight in the series and have gone 7-1 against the spread.
- SJU senior G Ryan Daly scored 30 points in the Hawks’ last game, a Dec. 17 loss to Drexel after a 20-day layoff. Daly is averaging 20.7 points per game this season and 18.0 PPG for his career. He scored 32 against ‘Nova last season (Dec. 7).
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St. Joseph’s at Villanova: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Villanova 85, St. Joseph’s 67
Money line (ML)
There was no money line posted at the time of publishing, likely due to the large spread. It wouldn’t be worth betting, anyway.
Against the spread (ATS)
St. Joe’s is a young team and no fewer than six underclassmen have received top-8-rotation minutes so far. Villanova should be able to leverage its talent, jump out to an early lead and control this one, but the 22.5 points are a lot for a regional rivalry — Philadelphia “Big 5” — contest.
The Hawks will be reliant on their perimeter game. ‘Nova’s defense is strong, but figure on SJU getting enough done in that area to go on some runs and stay within 20. BACK THE HAWKS +22.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
This series has hit the Under in three straight meetings and in seven of the last 10. Tempo-wise, the match-up is a clash of styles, with the Hawks’ being at the fast end of the continuum and the Wildcats being at the slow end.
The lean for Saturday is just a tad toward the Over 151.5 (-105) but a PASS IS RECOMMENDED.
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