Check out our free Villanova vs Saint Joseph’s pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Philadelphia. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Villanova vs Saint Joseph’s Pick & Preview: Saturday, December 17th Betting Odds
Wildcats vs Hawks Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Villanova Wildcats at Saint Joseph’s Hawks
- Where: Philadelphia at Hagan Arena
- Date: Saturday, December 17th
- Betting Odds: Villanova -11, VILL -716 | STJOE +490 O/U 139.0
Wildcats Preview:
Through 10 games, the Villanova Wildcats have an overall record of 5-5. So far, the Wildcats have played 4 games on the road, with a record of 1-3. This season, Villanova has been favored to win in 9 games, sitting with a mark of 5-4. For today’s contest, Villanova have a betting line set -11 points in their favor.
Villanova will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Caleb Daniels who is averaging 16.8 points per game for the Wildcats. Daniels is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Wildcats’ offensive gameplan is the play of Eric Dixon who has hit 50.4% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 15.9 points per game.
Coming into today’s game, Villanova will be looking from some improved play from their offense. Currently, the Wildcats are ranked 158th at 72.6 points per game. A major reason for their low scoring mumbers is the fact that they tend to work the clock on offense. This year, they are the 662nd ranked team in terms of pace. When looking at their 3-point shooting numbers, Villanova is close to the NCAA average at 35.9%.
Hawks Preview:
Through 9 games, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks have an overall record of 4-5. So far this season, Saint Joseph’s has played 7 games at home, sitting with a record of 3-4. For the season, Saint Joseph’s has been the underdog in 5 games, sitting with a mark of 1-4. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Hawks being +11 point underdogs.
Saint Joseph’s will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Erik Reynolds Jr. who is averaging 19.0 points per game for the Hawks. Jr. is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Hawks’ offensive gameplan is the play of Cameron Brown who has hit 43.0% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.67 points per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Saint Joseph’s this season, as they are currently ranked 310th in college basketball at 67.6 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Hawks’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.6%, placing them 280th in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: Saint Joseph’s Hawks +11
Succesful betting on college basketball is all about finding and taking advantage of mismatches that others may have missed. Heading into this matchup between the Saint Joseph’s Hawks and Villanova Wildcats, we like the fact that Saint Joseph’s will look to get out and run vs a Villanova unit that is more comfortable burning clock on each possession. In addition, we see the lines over inflating the fact that the Hawks don’t have a great track record vs the spread as underdogs, going 1-3-1 (last 5). While everyone else will be piling on Villanova, we like Saint Joseph’s to cover at home.
