UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 3/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN+

Finneran Pavilion is where the Villanova Wildcats (16-14) will try to defeat the UConn Huskies (23-7) on Saturday.

The UConn Huskies played DePaul and notched a win by a score of 88-59 in their last contest. UConn wrapped up the game with a 54.7% FG percentage (35 of 64) and buried 10 out of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Huskies converted 8 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 35 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 24 assists for this game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and having 9 steals. Regarding defense, UConn allowed the other team to shoot 35.0% from the field on 21 of 60 shooting. DePaul doled out 5 dimes and had 8 steals in this matchup. In addition, DePaul collected 24 boards (8 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. DePaul finished the contest at 75.0% at the charity stripe by making 12 of their 16 attempts. They also made 5 of their 15 shots from downtown. When discussing fouls, the Huskies left the arena with 13 and DePaul finished the game with 13 fouls.

Adama Sanogo is one player who was a major factor for this game. He accounted for 26 points on 11 of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 23 mins played and collected 5 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 78.6% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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UConn comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 23-7 this season. They average 79.2 points per contest (26th in the nation) while hitting 45.9% from the field. The Huskies are shooting 35.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (269 of 750) and 75.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UConn is grabbing 39.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 521 dimes so far this season, which ranks 8th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.9 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 18.4 fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Huskies have forced 13.6 turnovers per game and they draw 17.6 fouls. They are giving up 30.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 48th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (65.0). The Huskies are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.0% (668 of 1,631) and they surrender 30.1 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 5th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 269 relinquished so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Villanova Wildcats got the victory with a final of 76-72 against Seton Hall. Concerning how they attacked the glass, Villanova allowed Seton Hall to grab 28 in all (11 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 44.4% from three-point range by going 8 out of 18 and ended up shooting 14 out of 18 from the charity stripe (77.8%). The Wildcats allowed Seton Hall to convert 25 of their 55 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.5% in the matchup. Overall, the Wildcats shot 22 for 41 from the floor which gave them a rate of 53.7%. In relation to three-point shots, Villanova converted 10 of their 23 attempts (43.5%). They were able to make 22 of them for a clip of 95.7%. Seton Hall had 18 fouls in the game which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 23 shots. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 7 steals for the game. The Wildcats collected 19 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds totaling 21 in this contest.

Justin Moore ended up being a factor for the Wildcats in this matchup. He scored 23 points in his 35 minutes on the court, but didn't get an assist. He buried 6 out of 10 in this game for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and had 2 rebounds.

Villanova has a record of 16-14 on the year. The Wildcats have committed 16.1 fouls every game and they go 82.9% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 11.1 times per contest (326th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 10.3 times per game. Villanova has accounted for 2,096 points for the campaign (69.9 per contest) and they grab 31.2 boards per contest. As an offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 44.0% from the field, which is 218th in college hoops.

The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 113th in the country in points allowed per game with 67.8. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.9% from the floor (203rd in D-1). The Villanova defense concedes 33.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (231 of 682) and their opposition knocks down 77.0% of their foul shots. They give up 14.4 assists and 32.7 total boards per game, which is 304th and 95th in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Villanova

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