NJIT Highlanders vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 11/8/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: NJIT Highlanders vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Friday, November 8, 2024

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN+

Finneran Pavilion is the location where the Villanova Wildcats (1-1) will take on the NJIT Highlanders (0-1) on Friday.

The NJIT Highlanders stepped onto the hardwood against Penn and ended up losing by a score of 58-57 in their last game. NJIT ended with a 37.0% FG percentage (20 of 54) and buried 7 of 24 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Highlanders converted 10 of their 13 shots for a rate of 76.9%. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected 32 with 7 of them being offensive. They also recorded 8 assists for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of defense, NJIT allowed the other team to go 32.7% from the field on 16 out of 49 shooting. Penn dished out 5 assists and had 4 steals for this contest. Moreover, Penn collected 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Penn ended up shooting 60.0% from the charity stripe by burying 21 of their 35 attempts. They also converted 5 of their 19 tries from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Highlanders left the arena with 23 while Penn racked up 16 personal fouls.

Sebastian Robinson is a player who was a major contributor for this game. He went 50.0% from the floor and distributed 1 assist. He played 37 minutes and pulled down 9 boards. He walked away with 20 points on 7 out of 14 shooting.

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NJIT enters this game with a win-loss mark of 0-1 on the campaign. They average 57.0 points per game (333rd in Division 1) while connecting on 37.0% from the floor. The Highlanders are connecting on 29.2% on shots from downtown (7 of 24) and 76.9% from the free throw line. As a team, NJIT is grabbing 36.0 boards per game and has accounted for 8 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 332nd in college hoops in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 12.0 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 23.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Highlanders have forced 11.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.0 fouls. They are 24th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 5 relinquished so far this season. The Highlanders are giving up a shooting percentage of 32.7% (16 of 49) and they concede 39.0 boards per game as a unit. They relinquish 26.3% from 3-point land and they are 92nd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (58.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Villanova Wildcats took a loss by a final score of 90-80 when they played Columbia. With respect to cleaning the glass, Villanova permitted Columbia to grab 21 overall (6 on the offensive glass). They finished 33.3% from beyond the arc by going 8 out of 24 and finished the contest at 24 of 26 from the free throw line (92.3%). The Wildcats permitted Columbia to bury 29 of 54 attempts from the floor which had them at 53.7% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats finished 27 for 60 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.0%. In relation to shooting from beyond the arc, Villanova converted 11 of their 32 attempts (34.4%). They were able to make 15 of them for a rate of 88.2%. Columbia committed 19 personal fouls for the contest which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for 17 attempts. They also turned it over 12 times, while earning 6 steals in this game. The Wildcats collected 16 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 28 in this matchup.

Eric Dixon was important for the Wildcats for the contest. He recorded 33 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 2 dimes in this game. He buried 11 of 16 for the game for a field goal percentage of 68.8%, and accounted for 6 rebounds.

Villanova has a mark of 1-1 on the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wildcats are shooting 48.3% from the field, which ranks 148th in Division 1. Villanova has tallied 155 points for the campaign (77.5 per contest) and they collect 35.5 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.5 times per game (157th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 14.5 times per contest. The Wildcats have committed 18.5 personal fouls per game while shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 242nd in the country in points per game surrendered with 76.5. They have forced 10.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 46.9% from the floor (275th in the country). The Villanova defense concedes 34.1% from downtown (15 of 44) and their opponents are knocking down 84.2% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 16.0 assists and 25.5 boards per contest, which has them ranked 299th and 39th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take NJIT

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