The No. 7 Villanova Wildcats (3-2) and La Salle Explorers (2-2) tangle in a 6 p.m. ET game Sunday at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Below, we look at the Villanova vs. La Salle odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Villanova has already played three games against ranked foes. The Wildcats went 1-2 in contests against UCLA (loss), Tennessee (win) and Purdue (loss). They’re looking for an eighth straight win over local rival La Salle after a Thanksgiving rest.
VU’s leading scorer is G Justin Moore, who averages 17.8 points per contest. Moore logged a breakout 25-point game when the Wildcats last met La Salle Dec. 1, 2019.
The Explorers are coming off a 61-58 victory over Army Nov. 20, but La Salle had been on its heels defensively in a couple of earlier losses. La Salle heads into this game ranked 272nd in the nation in defense with 73.3 points allowed per game. A year ago, the Explorers ranked 12th in the 14-team Atlantic-10, allowing 73.5 PPG.
Rankings courtesy the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Villanova vs. La Salle odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:31 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Villanova -2500 (bet $2,500 to win $100) | La Salle +1000 (bet $100 to win $1000)
- Against the spread (ATS): Villanova -18.5 (-108) | La Salle +18.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Villanova vs. La Salle odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Villanova 78, La Salle 59
Money line
PASS on the juice-filled prices here. A -1500/+1500 tandem is a reasonable starting point, and value gets lost the more removed it is from that intersection.
Against the spread
‘Nova last played a week ago when they dropped an 80-74 game against a Purdue team that went 10-of-23 from distance and found some success on the offensive glass. The Wildcats are 38-17-2 ATS across their last 57 outings after an ATS loss.
Villanova and La Salle are at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as ball security goes. Look for the Wildcats to leverage that disparity to a great degree while clamping down on the boards in this one. The lean is a small-to-moderate one, so consider a partial-unit play on VILLANOVA -18.5 (-108) in a hometown bounce-back effort.
Over/Under
Along the same lines as the ATS play, look for a renewed defensive effort from a Wildcat five which plays at a snail’s pace. On neutral hardwood and with the Explorers being more a near-average team on defense than what surface numbers show, BACK THE UNDER 139.5 (-108).
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