Villanova Wildcats vs Providence Friars Prediction, 3/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs Providence Friars

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI

TV: ESPN+

The Providence Friars (18-10) will try to beat the Villanova Wildcats (16-12) at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday.

The Villanova Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against Georgetown and took home the win by a score of 75-47 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 18 while Georgetown finished the game with 14 personal fouls. They made 7 of their 26 shots from distance. Georgetown finished the contest at 85.7% at the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of their 14 attempts. In addition, Georgetown collected 26 rebounds (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Georgetown earned 12 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. In regard to defense, Villanova allowed the other team to go 27.5% from the floor on 14 out of 51 shooting. They also distributed 19 assists in the game while creating 10 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 29 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Wildcats knocked down 12 of their 16 tries for a rate of 75.0%. Villanova finished the game with a 53.2% FG percentage (25 out of 47) and made 13 out of their 27 three-point shots.

Eric Dixon is someone who was a major contributor in this matchup. He finished with 22 points on 7 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 mins and pulled down 6 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 63.6% from the floor and earned 2 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

Villanova enters this matchup with a record of 16-12 on the campaign. They cough up possession 9.4 times per contest and as a group they commit 15.4 fouls per game. As a team, Villanova is pulling in 35.4 rebounds per game and has tallied 357 dimes on the year, which ranks 232nd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Wildcats are shooting 33.5% on shots from beyond the arc (258 of 770) and 81.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 71.8 points per contest (243rd in college hoops) while hitting 42.6% from the floor.

On defense, the Wildcats are forcing 10.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.6 personal fouls. They are ranked 194th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 368 relinquished on the season. The Wildcats are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.0% (650 of 1,586) and they relinquish 33.9 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 32.2% on three-point shots and they are 31st in the country in points per game from their opponents (65.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Providence Friars took a defeat with a final score of 91-69 against Marquette. The Friars corralled 13 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 23 in this game. They gave up possession 15 times, while getting 7 steals for the game. Marquette was called for 17 personal fouls in this contest which got the Friars to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to knock down 11 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 68.8%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Providence knocked down 12 out of 26 tries (46.2%). In all, the Friars finished the game shooting 23 for 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.1%. The Friars allowed Marquette to convert 33 out of their 58 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.9% in this game. They finished 53.8% from three-point range by going 14 of 26 and ended up shooting 11 of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Providence permitted Marquette to snag 29 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Devin Carter was important for the Friars for the contest. He accumulated 18 points in his 36 mins on the court and accumulated 5 dimes in the game. He buried 5 out of 13 in the matchup for a rate of 38.5%, and had 5 rebounds.

Providence has a mark of 18-10 this season. The Friars are committing 15.7 fouls every game and they hit 70.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.0 times per contest (125th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 12.4 times per game. Providence has totaled 2,066 pts for the campaign (73.8 per contest) and they pull down 36.0 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Friars are hitting on 45.2% from the field, which is 151st in D-1.

The Providence defense gives up 33.5% on three-point shots (190 of 567) and their opposition makes 72.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 10.5 dimes and 35.2 boards per game, ranking them 21st and 209th in D-1. The Friars on the defensive end are ranked 96th in the nation in points allowed per game with 69.1. They have forced 12.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (62nd in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Providence

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