It will be a battle between Big East opponents when the Providence Friars (10-4, 0-1 Big East) welcome the Villanova Wildcats (10-4, 1-0 Big East) to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 5, 2019.
Villanova Wildcats vs. Providence Friars Free Prediction
In the Wildcats’ last outing, they thoroughly outplayed the Morgan State Bears, 100-77. The Wildcats had a much better free throw rate (0.299 vs. 0.085) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (44.4 vs. 25.6). Villanova was lifted by Eric Paschall, who was the top scorer from either team with 26 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
The Friars were victorious over the Siena Saints in their last game, 77-67. Providence’s 44.0 offensive rebounding percentage was their largest advantage over Siena, who had a rate of 31.0. With 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, Providence’s Alpha Diallo played well.
After the Wildcats won two out of three meetings against the Friars last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent matchup, Villanova won 76-66. The Wildcats had a better effective field goal percentage (0.508 vs. 0.426) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (42.1 vs. 35.9).
Diallo has averaged 0 points over the last five games for Providence.
Villanova at Providence Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Providence, ATS Winner – Providence, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Villanova ranks ninth in three pointers attempted per game (29.1) while Providence ranks 241st (18.8).
The Wildcats rank 34th in rebounds allowed per game (31.4) while the Friars rank 98th (34.1).
Providence ranks 47th in blocks per game (4.4) while Villanova ranks 107th (3.1).
The Friars rank 85th in assists per game (14.6) while the Wildcats rank 90th in assists allowed per game (12.4).
Bettings Trends:
The Wildcats’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 9.6, up from 8.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Friars have scored an average of 70.0 points per game (4.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 68.8 points per game (0.5 above their season average).
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