Georgetown Hoyas at Villanova Wildcats

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Villanova Wildcats(-4)
Game Total Line: (144.5)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Big East features a classic showdown this Saturday afternoon, when the Georgetown Hoyas head north up I95 into Philadelphia to take on the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Georgetown started this season with wins in 11 of its first 12 games, but since that point the Hoyas proceeded to lose four of their next five games before bouncing back with three straight wins. They lost to No. 2 Pittsburgh 72-57 earlier this month as a 2.5-point home favorite and followed that up with victories over Rutgers, Seton Hall, and most recently St. John’s 77-52 as a 7.5-point home favorite. The net result is an overall record of 15-5 straight-up and 12-7 against the spread. Georgetown finds itself in the middle of the pack in the Big East at 4-4 SU.

Senior guard Austin Freeman leads the Hoyas in scoring with 18.3 points per game. He is joined by junior guard Jason Clark and senior guard Chris Wright, who are both averaging close to 13 points a game to form an effective scoring machine. Wright leads the team in assists with 5.6 a game and Julian Vaughn is the leading rebounder with 6.5 a game.

Georgetown currently has the second-best shooting percentage in the nation; hitting an impressive 50.8 percent of its shots from the field and it is shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range. The Hoyas are averaging 76 points per game, but have struggled a bit under the boards with an average of just 34 rebounds.

Villanova was successfully forging its way to the top of the national polls, but losses in two of its last three games is sure to send the Wildcats tumbling back a few spots. Their 61-59 loss to No. 5 Connecticut on Jan. 17 as a 2.5-point road underdog was not totally unexpected, but their stunning 83-68 loss to Providence as a 5.5-point road favorite this past Wednesday was. Villanova finds itself at 17-3 SU and 10-6-1 ATS. It is now 5-2 SU in conference play.

Seniors’ Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher lead a very experienced and deep Wildcat roster. Both players are averaging just over 15 points and three rebounds a game with Fisher and Maalik Wayns tied for the lead in assists with 5.1. A third senior, forward Antonio Pena and sophomore forward/center Mouphtaou Yarou are both averaging over seven rebounds a game.

Villanova is averaging 77 points a game and its 40 rebounds a game give the Wildcats a distinct advantage over the Hoyas under the boards. The team is shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and has been extremely effective from the free-throw line; converting on 77.6 percent of its attempts.

Georgetown is 3-2 ATS in its last five games on the road and is 3-0 ATS in its last three games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last six games.

Villanova is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games and is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last six games.

Head-to-head, the Hoyas have won six of the last seven games SU and are 3-1 ATS in the last four. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of the last four meetings.

Against the Spread Game Pick

This time around the Wildcats should open as a four to five point favorite and while the recent trends in this series certainly favor Georgetown, stick with Villanova to bounce back from its poor showing the last time out.
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