St. Mary’s Gaels vs. Villanova Wildcats 3/21/19, Predictions & Odds

St. Mary's vs. Villanova Prediction

Can No. 6 Villanova begin a march toward a title defense when the Wildcats take on No. 11 Saint Mary’s tonight at 7:20PM ET in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament?

Game Snapshot & Odds

757 St. Mary’s vs. 758 Villanova

Thursday, March 21, 2019

7:20PM ET – XL Center

TV: TBS

Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Villanova is the favorite in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -4.5 points against St. Mary’s. The over/under total for the game is listed at 130 points. The public betting currently has 52 percent going on Villanova as the favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.

Gaels coming off big win

St. Mary’s is coming off a 60-47 win over top-ranked Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament final. The Gaels have won seven of their last eight while covering in four of their last six. St. Mary’s is 22-11 on the season, 3-3 on a neutral floor, 19-14 against the spread and 19-13-1 with the under.

The Gaels have a strong defense, allowing just 64.4 points per game while holding opponents to 43.6 percent shooting. Offensively, St. Mary’s is putting up 72.9 points per contest while shooting 47.4 percent as a team. Jordan Ford is leading the team with 21.3 points per game while Malik Fitts is adding 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.

Nova wins Big East

Villanova won the Big East regular season title and then won the Big East Tournament last weekend at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats have won five of their last six but are just 1-3 against the spread in their last four. Villanova is 25-9 on the season, 7-1 on a neutral floor, 20-14 against the spread and 19-12-2 with the under.

Nova is putting up 74.5 points per game on offense this season while shooting 43.9 percent as a team. Defensively, Villanova is giving up just 67.1 points per game while opponents shoot 43.4 percent against them. Phil Booth is leading the team with 18.6 points per game while Eric Paschall is adding 16.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

College Basketball Betting Trends

St. Mary’s

The Gaels have covered the spread in six straight against Big East opponents and they are 6-2 ATS in their last eight non-conference games.

Villanova

The Wildcats are 13-3 against the spread in their last 16 NCAA Tournament games and 19-7 ATS in their last 26 neutral-site games.

Prediction:

Villanova is the defending champion and seems to be peaking right now with some hard-fought wins in the Big East Tournament. While St. Mary’s picked up a win over Gonzaga, the Gaels haven’t played in well over a week. I think they start a little slow while the Wildcats come out fast. Nova has the ability to pull away from St. Mary’s, which doesn’t score at a very high rate.

College Basketball Prediction: Villanova -4.5