Connecticut Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 2/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Connecticut Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022

Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA

TV: FOX

Wells Fargo Center is the site where the Villanova Wildcats (16-6) will take on the Connecticut Huskies (15-5) on Saturday.

The Connecticut Huskies stepped onto the hardwood against Creighton and took a loss by a score of 59-55 in their last contest. Connecticut wrapped up the game having earned a 29.9% FG percentage (20 out of 67) and buried 5 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Huskies made 10 of 14 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. With respect to rebounding, they compiled a total of 38 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 8 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. When talking about defending, Connecticut allowed 39.3% from the floor on 22 out of 56 shooting. Creighton earned 7 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Additionally, Creighton collected 39 boards (9 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Creighton finished the game at 88.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 8 of 9 tries. They knocked down 7 of 17 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to fouls, the Huskies walked away with 10 and Creighton totaled 11 fouls.

Isaiah Whaley is a guy who was important for the game. He went 61.5% from the field but had no assists when the game ended. He was on the court for 33 minutes and also pulled down 6 rebounds. He walked away with 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

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Connecticut will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 15-5 on the year. They turn the ball over 12.3 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 17.5 fouls per contest. As a unit, Connecticut is pulling down 42.3 boards per contest and has accounted for 295 assists this year, which has them ranked 124th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Huskies are connecting on 34.9% on shots from downtown (153 of 439) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.2 points per outing (37th in D-1) while hitting 43.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Huskies are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers per game and they draw 17.8 personal fouls. They are surrendering 33.9% on 3-point shots and they are 45th in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (63.8). The Huskies defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 38.5% (446 of 1,158) and they concede 34.4 boards per game as a squad. They are 20th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 194 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Villanova Wildcats went home defeated by a final of 83-73 when they played Marquette. In regard to cleaning up the glass, Villanova allowed Marquette to get 33 in all (6 offensive). They finished the game shooting 41.7% from 3-point land by hitting 10 out of 24 and finished the game at 17 of 18 at the free throw line (94.4%). The Wildcats allowed Marquette to convert 28 out of their 52 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 53.8% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Wildcats went 23 for 60 from the field which had them at 38.3%. Regarding 3-point shots, Villanova knocked down 10 of their 34 tries (29.4%). They were able to make 17 of the free throw tries for a rate of 85.0%. Marquette had 20 personal fouls for this game which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 9 steals in the matchup. The Wildcats earned 15 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for this contest.

Brandon Slater ended up being a factor for the Wildcats for the matchup. He had 18 points in his 30 mins on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the contest. He converted 4 out of 6 for this game for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

Villanova has a win-loss record of 16-6 for the year. The Wildcats commit 15.5 fouls per contest while shooting 82.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.6 times per contest (217th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.4 times per contest. Villanova has totaled 1,595 pts on the season (72.5 per game) and they pull down 35.2 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Wildcats are connecting on 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 214th in the nation.

The Villanova defense gives up 31.0% on 3-point attempts (158 of 509) and opponents are converting on 75.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 10.9 dimes and 32.0 boards per game, which ranks 53rd and 59th in college hoops. The Wildcats on defense are ranked 21st in D-1 in PPG allowed with 61.1. They are able to force 12.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.5% from the field (54th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Connecticut

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