Saint Joseph's (4-3) and No. 6 Villanova (5-2) collide for an early afternoon contest on Saturday. The Hawks beat Binghamton 79-57 in their last matchup, winning their second game in a row. The Wildcats have won two consecutive games, defeating La Salle and Pennsylvania University this past week.
Tipoff is at noon ET from Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats are 22-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 143 in the latest Saint Joesph's vs. Villanova odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before locking in any Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,100 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and betting trends for Saint Joseph's vs. Villanova:
- Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's spread: Villanova -22
- Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's over-under: 143 points
- Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's money line: Villanova -2800, Saint Joseph +1200
- SJU: Hawks are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points
- NOVA: Under is 10-2 in Wildcats last 12 vs. a team with a winning straight up record
Why Villanova can cover
The Wildcats have been cruising in their last two games against La Salle and Pennsylvania, winning by an average of 20.5 points. In the victory against Penn, Villanova had three players in double figures. Guard Collin Gillespie logged a team-high 26 points. He was efficient in this matchup, shooting 9 of 15 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point land.
Senior forward Brandon Slater was second on the team with 16 points. Slater also had it going on the offensive end. He shot 7 of 8 from the field and knocked down two 3-pointers. Junior guard Justin Moore almost finished with a double-double. Moore tallied nine points with 11 rebounds. Villanova's defense gave Pennsylvania trouble all game long, forcing them to shoot 37 percent from the field.
Why Saint Joseph's can cover
The Hawks have three players who average 12 points or more for the year. Redshirt senior forward Taylor Funk is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Funk has scored over 20 points in two games thus far. Against Georgetown, Funk finished with a season-high of 29 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. The Pennsylvania native was on fire from 3-point range and shot 8 of 10 in this matchup.
Sophomore Jordan Hall has been doing it all this season. Hall is second on the team in points per game (13.1), first in rebounds (7.4), and first in assists (5.9). The New Jersey native has stuffed the stat sheet on multiple occasions through seven games. Against Monmouth, Hall scored 24 points, grabbed 10 boards, and dished out five assists. He almost logged a triple-double against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks. Hall finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists.
How to make Saint Joseph's vs. Villanova picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 148 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can get the pick only at SportsLine.
So who wins Villanova vs. Saint Joseph's? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned almost $2,100 on its college basketball picks the last five-plus years, and find out.
