Temple Owls at Villanova Wildcats

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Villanova Wildcats (-6)
Game Total Line: (130.5)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

Two of the top basketball programs in the Philadelphia area go at one another on Thursday night when the Temple Owls, out of the Atlantic 10 take on Big Five foe Villanova, from the Big East at The Pavilion in a 7 p.m. start.

Temple lost two out of its first five games, but has reeled off six straight wins including a thrilling 68-65 win over No. 9 Georgetown as a two-point home underdog. Recently, the Owls beat Northern Illinois 84-74 as a 25-point home favorite and Ohio 76-65 as a nine-point road favorite. They are currently 9-2 straight up on the year and 8-3 against the spread.

Junior guard Ramone Moore is Temple’s leading scorer with 14.9 points per game and senior forward Lavoy Allen is also averaging double-figures with 10.2 points per game. Allen also leads the team in rebounds with 6.8 per game and junior guard Juan Fernandez leads in assists with 3.9. Sophomore forward Rahlir Jefferson has been a solid performer off the bench, averaging 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

The Owls are averaging 68 points per game and shooting 46.4 percent from the field. They are only shooting 27 percent from three-point range and are hitting just 63.4 percent of their free-throws which has been an early issue for this team.

Villanova is off to another solid start as expected with only one loss in its first 11 games. The Wildcats dropped a 78-68 decision to then-No. 24 Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-off as a six-point favorite. Villanova will be going for the sweep against its Philadelphia Big Five opponents as they have already recorded victories over St. Josephs, Penn, and La Salle. The Wildcats are 10-1 SU but just 3-4-1 ATS in games with posted lines.

Balance on offense has been the key so far for Villanova with four players scoring in double-figures led by a pair of senior guards who are each averaging over 15 points per game. Corey Stokes has the slight edge with a 15.7 average, while Corey Fisher is averaging 15.5. Senior forward Antonio Pena adds to the veteran leadership on this team with 10.2 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Wildcats are shooting 44.9 percent from the field and averaging 77 points per game. They are shooting 31.5 percent from three-point range and 76.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Temple is 3-2 ATS in its last five road games and 5-1 ATS in its last six overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of its last six games.

Villanova is 3-1-1 ATS in its last five home games but just 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last seven games.

Head-to-head, the Wildcats have won seven out of the last 10 games SU and are 7-3 ATS. The Owls did win 75-65 as a three-point home underdog the last time they met in December of 2009.

Against the Spread Game Pick

These inter-city rivalries usually bring out the best in both teams, so Temple has a good chance to keep this game close until the end. The line is currently at -6 and I would play the Wildcats at 8 or less.
Take the Villanova Wildcats -6 at 5Dimes where you can get reduced juice on this game!