Temple Owls vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 12/29/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Temple Owls vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: FS1

The Villanova Wildcats (8-4) host the Temple Owls (7-5) at Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday.

The Temple Owls faced Delaware State and took home the win by a score of 85-48 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Owls finished with 11 and Delaware State recorded 14 fouls. They also made 4 out of their 18 shots from distance. Delaware State finished the game at 66.7% from the free throw line by knocking down 4 of 6 tries. In addition, Delaware State pulled down 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Delaware State doled out 13 assists and had 4 steals in the game. In the matter of defending, Temple allowed the other team to shoot 32.3% from the floor on 20 out of 62 shooting. They also distributed 23 assists for the game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they earned 42 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Owls buried 15 of 18 tries for a rate of 83.3%. Temple walked away from the game with a 43.1% FG percentage (28 out of 65) and knocked down 14 of their 30 shots from downtown.

Zach Hicks is a guy who was a major factor in this game. He went 66.7% from the floor but had no assists when the game ended. He played 27 mins played and also grabbed 7 boards. He walked away with 35 points on 12 out of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Best Bets Picks

Temple heads into this matchup with a record of 7-5 so far this year. They turn it over 11.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.7 fouls every game. As a team, Temple is collecting 39.5 rebounds per game and is sitting with 145 dimes so far this season, which is 245th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Owls are hitting 28.5% on shots from distance (72 of 253) and 69.1% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 67.6 pts per game (277th in the nation) while connecting on 40.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Owls are forcing 11.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. They surrender 32.7% on three-point shots while they are 128th in college hoops in opponents points per game (66.0). The Owls defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 39.9% (286 of 716) and they concede 36.4 boards per contest as a group. They are 272nd in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 168 surrendered on the campaign.

In their last game, the Villanova Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 71-58 when they faced Xavier. With respect to attacking the glass, Villanova allowed Xavier to get 27 in all (4 on the offensive glass). They went 26.1% from 3-point land via 6 of 23 and finished the game at 10 of 13 from the free throw line (76.9%). The Wildcats permitted Xavier to knock down 21 of 52 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 40.4% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats ended up going 27 out of 55 from the field which had them at 49.1%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Villanova buried 6 out of 21 tries (28.6%). They were able to make 11 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 64.7%. Xavier was called for 16 fouls for the matchup which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 17 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while recording 8 steals in this matchup. The Wildcats recorded 25 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 for the matchup.

Eric Dixon ended up being a factor for the Wildcats in this contest. He knocked down 6 out of 8 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and accounted for 8 rebounds. He accumulated 15 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in the game.

Villanova has a mark of 8-4 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Wildcats are connecting on 42.3% from the floor, which has them ranked 272nd in the nation. Villanova has tallied 870 points for the season (72.5 per game) and they pull in 36.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 12.9 times per game (217th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 8.7 times per game. The Wildcats commit 14.8 fouls per contest and they shoot 76.4% from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats on the defensive side of the court are 70th in the country in points given up per game with 62.7. They are able to force 13.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.9% from the floor (156th in Division 1). The Villanova defense gives up 32.3% on 3-point shots (91 of 282) and their opposition makes 73.3% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 11.3 dimes and 33.7 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 105th and 138th in the country.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Villanova

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here