Villanova Wildcats vs UConn Huskies Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Villanova Wildcats vs UConn Huskies

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT

TV: ESPN+

The UConn Huskies (24-3) welcome the Villanova Wildcats (15-11) at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday.

The Villanova Wildcats faced off with Butler and went home with a win by a final score of 72-62 in their last contest. Villanova ended with a 49.0% field goal percentage (25 of 51) and knocked down 10 out of their 24 3-pointers. When they shot from the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 12 of their 12 tries for a rate of 100.0%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 33 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 12 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Concerning defending, Villanova allowed the other team to go 43.1% from the floor on 22 of 51 shooting. Butler earned 14 assists and had 6 steals for this game. Moreover, Butler collected 19 rebounds (2 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Butler shot 70.0% at the charity stripe by making 7 of their 10 attempts. They also converted 11 out of their 29 attempts from downtown. In relation to personal fouls, the Wildcats finished with 14 and Butler finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Eric Dixon is someone who was a contributor for the contest. He racked up 22 points on 6 out of 16 shooting. He played 32 minutes played and also pulled down 6 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 37.5% from the floor and distributed 3 assists.

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Villanova will play this game with a record of 15-11 this year. They are losing possession via turnover 9.7 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.4 fouls per contest. As a unit, Villanova is collecting 35.6 boards per contest and has tallied 332 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 239th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Wildcats are connecting on 33.7% on 3-pointers (242 of 719) and 82.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 72.3 points per game (225th in the country) while going 42.7% from the floor.

Defensively, the Wildcats have forced 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 14.7 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.4% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 36th in college basketball in opponents points per game (65.9). The Wildcats defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 41.4% (612 of 1,479) and they concede 33.7 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 197th in the nation in giving up assists with 342 conceded for the season.

The last time they took the court, the UConn Huskies went home defeated by a final of 85-66 when they faced Creighton. The Huskies earned 16 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 4 steals in the matchup. Creighton was called for 13 fouls for the game which took the Huskies to the charity stripe for a total of 13 shots. They were able to bury 11 of those for a percentage of 84.6%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, UConn buried 3 of 16 tries (18.8%). When this game wrapped up, the Huskies finished shooting 26 out of 59 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.1%. The Huskies permitted Creighton to convert 29 out of their 53 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 54.7% in this contest. They went 50.0% from distance by connecting on 14 of 28 and finished the contest at 13 of 17 at the charity stripe (76.5%). In reference to rebounding, UConn permitted Creighton to grab 26 in all (7 offensive).

Tristen Newton ended up having an impact for the Huskies in the matchup. He converted 10 out of 21 for the game for a field goal rate of 47.6%, and had 12 rebounds. He earned 27 points in his 37 mins on the court and had 4 assists for the matchup.

UConn has a record of 24-3 this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Huskies are hitting on 49.7% from the floor, which is 7th in the country. UConn has earned 2,198 points so far this year (81.4 per contest) and they average 38.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 17.9 times per contest (9th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 10.2 times per game. The Huskies are committing 16.7 fouls every game and they go 73.6% from the charity stripe.

The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 18th in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 64.5. They are able to force 11.2 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.2% from the field (23rd in the country). The UConn defense surrenders 32.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (161 of 495) and their opponents are making 71.0% of their free throw shots. They allow 10.7 dimes and 29.7 boards per game, which has them ranked 26th and 8th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Villanova

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