UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN+

Wells Fargo Center is where the Villanova Wildcats (11-6) will compete against the UConn Huskies (16-2) on Saturday.

The UConn Huskies faced Creighton and earned the victory with a final of 62-48 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Huskies left the arena with 12 while Creighton racked up 14 personal fouls. They also made 6 of 26 tries from distance. Creighton finished the contest at 100.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 6 of 6 tries. On top of that, Creighton pulled down 26 boards (3 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Creighton earned 8 assists and had 3 steals in this game. When talking about defense, UConn allowed the other team to go 34.6% from the field on 18 out of 52 shooting. They also dished out 13 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they collected 45 with 18 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Huskies made 7 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 70.0%. UConn wrapped up the contest with a 35.7% FG percentage (25 of 70) and made 5 of their 19 shots from distance.

Tristen Newton is a guy who was a major contributor for this game. He finished the game shooting 40.0% from the field and also distributed 5 assists. He played 33 mins and collected 8 rebounds. He accounted for 16 points on 6 out of 15 shooting.

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UConn comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 16-2 for the year. They are turning it over 10.4 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.2 fouls every game. As a unit, UConn is collecting 38.6 rebounds per game and is sitting with 327 assists this season, which ranks 8th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Huskies are shooting 35.5% from downtown (156 of 440) and 72.8% from the charity stripe. They average 81.9 points per contest (33rd in Division 1) while hitting 49.8% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Huskies have forced 11.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.8 personal fouls. They currently rank 57th in college hoops in giving up assists with 190 surrendered so far this year. The Huskies defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 39.6% (399 of 1,007) and they concede 29.7 boards per game as a group. They are relinquishing 33.3% on 3-pointers and they are 30th in college basketball in PPG allowed (64.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Villanova Wildcats took a defeat with a final score of 87-74 against Marquette. In relation to how they attacked the glass, Villanova allowed Marquette to snag 25 overall (4 offensive). They wrapped up this game 30.4% from distance by connecting on 7 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 6 out of 8 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Wildcats allowed Marquette to make 37 of their 63 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 58.7% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats went 25 for 53 from the field which had them at 47.2%. In the matter of 3-point attempts, Villanova made 14 out of their 33 attempts (42.4%). They were able to knock down 10 of those for a clip of 71.4%. Marquette committed 13 fouls in this game which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 14 shots. They also turned it over 12 times, while recording 2 steals for the matchup. The Wildcats recorded 18 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for the matchup.

Mark Armstrong ended up having an impact for the Wildcats in the matchup. He totaled 24 points in his 30 mins on the court and had 3 dimes in this matchup. He made 8 out of 15 for this game giving him a rate of 53.3%, and totaled 2 rebounds.

Villanova has a win-loss record of 11-6 this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are connecting on 42.1% from the floor, which ranks them 304th in Division 1. Villanova has earned 1,262 points this season (74.2 per game) and they snag 37.4 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 12.1 times per contest (287th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.1 times per game. The Wildcats have committed 15.2 fouls per contest and they go 81.8% from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats on the defensive side of the court are 68th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 66.4. They are able to force 11.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (115th in college basketball). The Villanova defense allows 33.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter (133 of 392) and their opposition makes 69.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.0 dimes and 33.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is 200th and 105th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Villanova

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