Villanova vs. Temple Pick
Will No. 1 Villanova be able to live up to its new ranking when it goes on the road to face Temple tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Villanova is favored in today’s game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -8.5 points against Temple. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 150.5 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will air live on ESPN2.
Villanova is coming off a 77-68 win over La Salle last weekend to improve to 10-0 on the season. The Wildcats are 7-3 against the spread, but failed to cover in the last game which snapped a five-game cover streak. Nova is averaging 85.6 points per game on offense this season while giving up 63.3 per contest on defense. Mikal Bridges is leading the team with 18.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while Jalen Brunson is adding 17.2 points and 4.8 assists per contest.
Temple is coming off an 81-78 win over St. Joe’s this past weekend to improve to 6-2 on the season. The Owls are 4-3-1 against the spread, but are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five. Temple is now averaging 74.6 points per game on offense while giving up 68.8 per contest on defense. Shizz Alston Jr. and Quinton Rose are each averaging 17.3 points per game to lead Temple and the two combine for 10.2 rebounds per contest.
Villanova has won four straight meetings in this series, covering the spread in all four games in the process. Temple comes into tonight just 4-12-1 ATS in their last 17 games following a win. Villanova is 45-21-1 ATS in their last 67 non-conference games. Nova is also 37-17-1 ATS in their last 55 road games. The public betting is strong with Villanova tonight and I think the Wildcats will do enough to cover.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: VILLANOVA -8.5