Pirates vs. Wildcats Prediction
The 12th-ranked Seton Hall Pirates are the frontrunners in the Big East Conference but are underdogs today at the 10th-ranked Villanova Wildcats. Can Villanova gain a game in the conference standings with a win?
Game Snapshot
653 Seton Hall Pirates at 654 Villanova Wildcats
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Wells Fargo Arena at 2:30PM ET
TV: FOX
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According to oddsmakers, the Wildcats are a 4-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 140.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 67 percent of public bets are being placed on host Villanova. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Pirates get past Hoyas
Seton Hall earned a 78-71 win Wednesday night at Georgetown to improve to 17-5 overall and 9-1 in conference action. The Pirates led 42-32 at halftime and held on after the break. Myles Powell poured in 34 points to lead the way on 12-of-24 shooting including 4-of-13 from 3-point range plus 6-of-6 at the free throw line. He also accounted for seven rebounds and three assists. Jared Rhoden added 12 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals.
Wildcats drop second straight
Villanova fell 79-76 Wednesday night at Butler to drop to 17-5 overall and 7-3 in the Big East. The Wildcats trailed 42-38 at halftime on their way to the defeat. Saddiq Bey led Villanova with 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting including 5-of-8 from 3-point range plus 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down six rebounds. Collin Gillespie added 28 points, six assists and two boards.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Seton Hall
The Pirates are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games. Seton Hall is 20-8 ATS in its last 28 games overall.
Villanova
The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Villanova is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six games following a straight up loss.
Prediction:
This is a game between a pair of evenly matched teams on the same amount of rest and preparation. For me, it feels like the spread is a point or two too wide considering the body of Seton Hall’s work this season. Expect the Pirates to come out firing and take advantage of a Wildcats team that might press a little too much at home trying to snap the two-game skid. I’m going with the underdogs here to at least cover the spread if not win outright.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: SETON HALL PIRATES +4