This Saturday’s slate features a classic Philadelphia Big 5 matchup between the No. 14 Villanova Wildcats and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks at the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena. Tip-off for this clash is set for 6 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

Villanova has climbed the ranks with a solid 8-0 straight up start includes impressive back-to-back victories over Kansas and Iowa as underdogs in early-season tournament play. The Wildcats are a profitable 5-1 against the spread, and the total has stayed “under” in two of their last three games.

The Hawks are coming off a 77-69 loss to fellow Big 5 foe Temple this past Wednesday as two-point road underdogs. They are now 4-3 SU on the year with a 3-3 record ATS. The total has stayed under in four of those six games.

Villanova at St. Joes Betting Storylines

This will be the second of three straight games in this fabled Philadelphia city series. The Wildcats started things off with a 77-54 rout of Penn as 18-point home favorites this past Wednesday, and next Sunday they will face LaSalle. The bigger picture for this team is a return to the national spotlight after posting a huge 63-59 victory over the then-No. 2 Jayhawks as a 4.5-point underdog this past weekend.

Leading the charge has been JayVaugh Pinkston and James Bell. Each are averaging 16.6 points, with Pinkston shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and Bell pulling down a team-high 6.5 rebounds a game. The Wildcats are averaging 81.1 points a game, and they are ranked 13th in the nation in rebounds with 43.1 a game. The only issue has been a team field goal percentage of 43.8 percent and a 31.8 shooting percentage from three-point range.

St. Joe’s has beaten the teams it was supposed to with a 3-0 record ATS as a favorite, but in addition to the Temple game, it failed to cover in losses to Creighton and LSU as an underdog.  This game will easily be its biggest test of the season as an underdog. However, the good news is that the rivalry aspect of this matchup is definitely in the Hawks’ favor playing this game on their home court.

To actually pull off the upset they will need a big night from both Langston Galloway and Ronald Roberts Jr. Galloway is averaging 18.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while Roberts is chipping-in another 17.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. Overall, the team is scoring 74 points a game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. One area of concern in this showdown could be under the boards with an average of 36.7 rebounds a game.

Villanova at St. Joes Betting Tends and Game Lines

BetOnline has opened the Wildcats as five -point road favorites for this contest with the total still OFF the board.

The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against a team with a SU winning record, but they are just 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games against a team from the Atlantic 10. The total has gone “over” in five of their last six road games.

The Hawks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games and 22-10 ATS in their last 32 games following a SU loss. The total has stayed under in four of their last six games at home.

Head-to-head in this city rivalry, the home team is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, and the total has stayed under in nine of the last 10 games. St. Joes is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.

Free College Basketball Picks: Villanova at St. Joes Betting Predictions

The talent gap between these two teams is as wide as it has been in the past few years, so it is highly doubtful that the Hawks will be able to win this game SU. That does not mean they will not make their city foes work for this win by keeping things close enough to cover at home with the points.

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