With a win on Saturday at Seton Hall and some help elsewhere, Villanova could clinch a fourth straight Big East Conference regular-season title, and the Wildcats will be solid favorites in NCAA basketball spreads to beat the Pirates, who are defending Big East Tournament champions.
Villanova vs Seton Hall Spread, Betting Pick & TV Info
- When: Saturday, Feb. 18, 12:30 PM ET
- Where: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- TV: Fox
- Stream: Fox Sports Go
- Radio: Villanova / Seton Hall
- Opening NCAAB Lines: Villanova favored by TBA
Why Bet On Villanova?
The Cats won at DePaul 75-62 on Monday. Jalen Brunson, a former Illinois prep star from nearby Lincolnshire, went 4 for 8 from the field and 8 for 9 at the free throw line. The sophomore also contributed four assists, four rebounds and three steals, brushing off any talk of increased pressure while playing in front of family and friends from his hometown.
Brunson scored 12 first-half points as the Wildcats built a 21-point lead at the break. They expanded it to 27 points midway through the second half. Nova got its 25th victory, the fourth consecutive year it has reached that mark. Josh Hart had 16 points, Mikal Bridges scored 15 in Villanova’s sixth straight victory, and Kris Jenkins finished with 13. The Wildcats played for the second straight game without senior forward Darryl Reynolds, who is nursing a rib injury. He’s questionable here.
Brunson has put up solid numbers, especially in the Wildcats’ 14 Big East games. In conference play, he averages 15.6 points (eighth in the league), 4.6 assists (second) and a 1.9 assist-to- turnover ratio (third) while shooting 55 percent from the field (fourth) and 85.5 percent on free throws (fifth).
Hart, Jenkins and Reynolds have been part of Wildcat teams that have posted a 122-15 record in their four seasons in the Blue and White. The trio is already the all-time winningest class in program history and to date have yet to have lost consecutive games as collegiate players.
One of the Wildcats’ linchpins this season has been their defense. The Wildcats lead the Big East in scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.414).
Why Bet On Seton Hall?
The Pirates are right on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Both ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and CBS’ Jerry Palm have the Pirates in the field of 68 right now. One other major site has them as a No. 1 seed in the NIT — and the first team out of the NCAA field.
Seton Hall has gotten a series of breaks this season. The Pirates beat banged-up California and shorthanded South Carolina out of conference. They lucked into home games against point guard-deprived Creighton and Xavier. They are a bubble team at a time when the bubble is epically soft, with just a handful of mid-majors vying for at-large bids.
Angel Delgado is the nation’s top rebounder with 13.0 per game, and has 6.2 more per game than any other player in the conference. He has five 20-point games this season including a career-best 26 at Georgetown, and is one of two players in the top-15 in the Big East in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
SHU has shown consistent ability to perform well against nationally ranked opponents, and can pick up its 12th win over an Associated Press top-25 team since head coach Kevin Willard’s arrival in 2010-11. The Pirates have won five of last their nine games against nationally ranked opponents, dating back to Feb. 25 of last season.
Back on Jan. 16, Seton Hall was crushed 76-46 at Villanova. The Wildcats made 12 of 26 3-pointers and held Seton Hall to just 16 field goals. The Pirates still have more wins over Villanova (3) than any other Big East team since 2013.
Villanova pulled out a 72-71 victory over the Pirates in last season’s meeting between the teams at the Prudential Center. This will be VU’s second visit to the Prudential Center this season — the Wildcats downed Notre Dame there in December at the Never Forget Tribute Classic. Villanova is 4-2 lifetime against the Pirates at the Prudential Center.
Villanova at Seton Hall Betting Pick:
If this spread reaches double digits, take the points in NCAA betting.
