UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 1/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UConn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN+

The UConn Huskies (12-3) are headed to Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday where they will try to beat the Villanova Wildcats (10-5).

The UConn Huskies faced off with Providence and walked away with a win by a score of 87-84 in their last contest. UConn finished the game having earned a 56.3% FG percentage (27 out of 48) and buried 6 out of their 13 shots from downtown. When they shot from the free throw line, the Huskies made 27 of their 32 shots for a percentage of 84.4%. Regarding rebounding, they compiled 21 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 16 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In terms of defense, UConn allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 30 of 60 shooting. Providence distributed 5 assists and had 3 steals for the game. In addition, Providence had 28 boards (12 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Providence walked away from this one shooting 87.0% from the charity stripe by converting 20 of their 23 attempts. They also knocked down 4 out of their 13 shots from 3-point range. When discussing fouls, the Huskies ended up with 16 and Providence had 25 fouls.

Hassan Diarra is one player who played a role for this game. He finished with 19 points on 4 out of 8 shooting. He played 38 minutes and also snagged 2 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the floor and also totaled 8 assists.

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UConn will play this game with a record of 12-3 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 9.8 times per game and as a team are committing 19.2 personal fouls every game. As a unit, UConn is snagging 35.5 boards per game and has accounted for 295 dimes on the season, which ranks 3rd in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Huskies are connecting on 37.2% on shots from distance (146 of 392) and 79.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 83.9 points per game (31st in college) while hitting 49.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Huskies are able to force 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.9 fouls. They are giving up 37.8% on 3-pointers and they are 108th in D-1 in PPG allowed (68.6). The Huskies are allowing a shooting percentage of 42.1% (338 of 802) and they concede 29.6 boards per contest as a unit. They currently rank 24th in the country in allowing assists with 142 surrendered on the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Villanova Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 100-56 against DePaul. When talking about rebounds, Villanova permitted DePaul to pull down 26 in total (9 on the offensive glass). They went 25.9% from beyond the perimeter via 7 out of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 9 out of 15 at the free throw line (60.0%). The Wildcats permitted DePaul to convert 20 of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 33.3% for the contest. Overall, the Wildcats went 37 out of 62 from the field which had them shooting 59.7%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Villanova knocked down 16 out of their 27 tries (59.3%). They were able to make 10 of the free throws for a rate of 55.6%. DePaul earned 18 fouls in this game which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while getting 8 steals in this game. The Wildcats recorded 27 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 37 for the game.

Eric Dixon ended up being a factor for the Wildcats for this contest. He earned 25 points in his 29 minutes on the court and totaled 4 assists in this game. He made 9 of 17 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 52.9%, and had 5 rebounds.

Villanova has a mark of 10-5 so far this year. The Wildcats commit 16.4 fouls every game and they go 78.7% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.4 times per game (160th in college) and they are turning it over 9.9 times per contest. Villanova has 1,201 points on the campaign (80.1 per game) and they grab 36.0 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are shooting 49.3% from the field, which is ranked 27th in the nation.

The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 75th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 66.9. They are able to force 10.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (161st in college hoops). The Villanova defense allows 35.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (126 of 353) and opponents are making 66.9% of their foul shots. They concede 13.6 assists and 28.9 total rebounds per game, ranking them 227th and 5th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Villanova

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