The Virginia Cavaliers will take on the Providence Friars at 7:30.m. ET on Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., as part of the 2021 Legends Classic championship matchup. Virginia is 3-2 overall on the season while Providence is an unbeaten 5-0. The Cavaliers beat the Georgia Bulldogs 65-55 in their semifinal matchup while the Friars are coming off a 77-72 win over the Northwestern Wildcats in their semifinal.
Tony Bennett and Ed Cooley should be familiar with each other after going head-to-head in a nonconference matchups in 2016 that the Cavaliers won 63-52. This time around, the Friars are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Virginia vs. Providence odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The over-under for total points is set at 121.5. Before entering any Providence vs. Virginia picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
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 Virginia vs. Providence. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Providence vs. UVA:
- Virginia vs. Providence spread: Providence -2.5
- Virginia vs. Providence over-under: 121.5 points
What you need to know about Virginia
The Cavaliers lost a lot of talent from a team that was beaten in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and Bennett's squad got off to a slow start this season with losses to Navy at home and Houston on the road. However, Virginia looked typically staunch on defense in the win over Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to 55 points and 3-for-21 shooting from the 3-point line.
Armaan Franklin had 23 points, six rebounds and three steals in the win over Georgia and the Indiana transfer has provided a big boost for Virginia. He's the team's leading scorer through five games as he averages 13.8 points per game. Meanwhile, East Carolina transfer Jayden Gardner has been a force down low, averaging 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
What you need to know about Providence
Providence failed to finish above .500 (13-13) for the first time since Cooley's first season at the helm of the program in 2011-12 and missed the NCAA Tournament for a second time in a row last season. However, the Friars are off to a solid start in 2021-22 and have already scored quality wins over Wisconsin on the road and on Monday over Northwestern in New Jersey.
Nate Watson led Providence with 16 points in the win over the Wildcats and five players scored in double-figures during another efficient offensive day. Providence ranks 49th out of 358 DI programs in the NCAA in offensive rating (114.4) and ranks 33rd nationally in field-goal percentage (50.0).
How to make Providence vs. Virginia picks
The model is leaning over on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Virginia vs. Providence? And which side of the spread is hitting over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
