The No. 10 Villanova Wildcats will return to the Wells Fargo Center looking to put an end to a two-game losing streak after falling at the buzzer last time out against Butler. It’s the longest losing streak of the season for Jay Wright’s troops, so it’s safe to assume Saddiq Bey and company will be doing everything in their power to get back on track in this spot. Easier said than done however with Myles Powell and the Big East leading Seton Hall Pirates hitting their hardwood looking to sweep the road trip after going into Georgetown and coming out with the win and cover over the Hoyas. Regardless of The Hall ranking out as the No. 10 team in the country, it hasn’t ousted the Wildcats on their home court since before the turn of the century. Should it, the Pirates just might be something truly special this season.
This Big East tussle will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2020. Tip-off will be at 2:30 p.m. ET from the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA. The game will be broadcast on FOX.So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
While it wasn’t the prettiest of efforts that got the Pirates in the win column against the Hoyas on Wednesday night, it was just enough to get the job done. The 78-71 final score saw Seton Hall cover the closing 4.5-point spread to move to 17-5 SU, 9-1 in conference play and a bankroll boosting 15-7 ATS for the season. Myles Powell was once again sensational putting the team on his back to tally a game-high 34 points by way of draining half of his 24 shot attempts. Quincy McKnight returned to the lineup off an injury scare to dish off 10 assists, Romaro Gill was once again a defensive dominator with eight blocks, and Sandro Mamukelashvili was the glass cleaner with 12 rebounds. The team did however commit an alarming 21 fouls that turned into 21 points for the Hoyas. Do that against Nova, and it’ll be lights out!
Off an ugly beat down at home against the Creighton Bluejays, it was nothing short of a given that Villanova would come out determined to make amends in hopes of sweeping the regular season rivalry from the Bulldogs. But it hardly played out as such early on. Butler controlled the game from the outset keeping Nova at an arm’s length before taking a 42-38 lead with it into the break. The lead would increase to double-digits early on in the second half, but the Wildcats never gave up. Bey and Collin Gillespie were a two-man show with the former going for 29 points and six rebounds and the latter 28 points and six assists. Bey connected on a 3-pointer to tie the game with a hair under 25 seconds remaining, but Butler’s Kamar Baldwin ended up with the last laugh after draining the dagger three at the gun.
Series Rivalry
Nova has owned the Pirates when hosting this rivalry. Dating all the way back to 1996, the Wildcats have logged 16 straight victories and covered the spread in all but five of those matchups. Kevin Willard has never gotten the best of Jay Wright on the road with his teams going 0-8 SU and 2-6 ATS losing by an average of 18 points per game. Last year’s venture into the Wells Fargo Center saw Powell and his mates get taken out behind the woodshed and get slammed 80-52 to come absurdly short of covering the laughable 8-point spread. Seton Hall was much more competitive in the other two games beating the Wildcats 79-75 as 3.5-point Prudential Center underdogs before dropping a tough 74-72 decision as 4.5-point underdogs in the Big East Tournament finals. The Pirates enter this tilt having covered four of the last six overall meetings.
Prediction
There’s a multitude of reasons why you should back Villanova in this game. For starters, the Wildcats have been nothing short of dominant when hosting the Pirates. Second, Wright’s kids are in the midst of a two-game losing streak. On top of that, Seton Hall wasn’t particularly impressive in disposing of Georgetown and has been playing some shaky ball over the last couple weeks. Even so, I’ll be taking whatever points linemakers offer up with The Hall and will be getting a taste of the moneyline as well. Villanova has a solid team as it’s currently constructed, but I peg it as being a year away from actually making some real noise. This is the Pirates season to shine, and it’s passed every single one of its major tests when healthy this season. The team has done nothing but go on the Big East road and win, and I don’t expect Saturday to be any different. Look for Seton Hall to play a stifling brand of defense and come up with the big stop late that allows them to ice the game and secure the huge road win.
College Basketball Pick: Seton Hall 69, Villanova 64
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