The third-ranked Villanova Wildcats will look to extend their winning ways when they hit the road to take on the DePaul Blue Demons in a Big East battle on Tuesday. Villanova is back on the court after head coach Jay Wright tested positive for COVID-19 over a week ago. DePaul has played just three games this season because of its own COVID-19 battles. Now, let’s find out if Villanova can take care of business as a road favorite in this affair or whether the Blue Demons are the better pick to hold it down as a home underdog. With that said, let’s get right to it so you can get ready to make your bets against their College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Predictions – No. 3 Villanova at DePaul
Why Bet On No. 3 Villanova
Third-ranked Villanova (6-3 ATS) will be back in action after routing Marquette 85-68 in its last game on Dec. 23. Collin Gillespie scored a team-high 22 points while going 6 of 11 from three-point range.
“I was getting open shots, and guys were finding me,” said Gillespie, who went 6 of 11 from 3-point range. “Credit to my teammates for finding me. I was just playing off my jump shot.”
The Wildcats have won six straight games, but had to pause all team activities after head coach Jay Wright tested positive for COVID-19. One other Villanova staff member also tested positive.
“Our players have been very diligent and disciplined with all of the COVID protocols,” Wright said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we have had two staff members test positive. I am one of them. My symptoms are mild, and we remain connected as a team and staff by phone and Zoom.”
Villanova’s ensuing game against Xavier, scheduled for Saturday was canceled, but the Cats are ready to go and have the look of a legitimate national championship title contender.
Villanova averages a healthy 80.1 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Wildcats limit the opposition to 67.1 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Why Bet On DePaul
DePaul (2-1 ATS) has had to cancel or postpone a whopping 10 games this season because of positive COVID-19 tests of their own – and opponents. The Blue Demons were scheduled to open Nov. 25 against Western Illinois at home, but didn’t play their first game until Dec. 23. While the Blue Demons recorded an emphatic 91-72 win over Western Illinois in their opener, they’ve dropped two straight since including an embarrassing 82-61 smackdown loss against UConn on Wednesday. The game had been delayed a week by positive tests for COVID-19 in the UConn program. Darious Hall scored a team-high 14 points while Nick Ongenda added 13 points, but the Blue Demons were down 14 at the break and could never overcome the deficit in the second half.
DePaul averages 80.7 points per game on 48.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Demon Deacons allow a whopping 83.0 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.0 percent from three-point distance.
Villanova Wildcats (8-1) Vs DePaul Blue Demons (1-2)
- When: Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL
- NCAAB Odds: TBD
Expert Analysis and Predictions
While DePaul has held its own at the offensive end of the floor, the Blue Demons are awful defensively in allowing a whopping 83.0 points per game. DePaul gave up 95 points to Providence on Dec. 27 and lost by 21 points to a UConn squad that isn’t nearly as dangerous as Villanova.
The Wildcats have not allowed more than 68 points in six straight games while putting at least 85 points on the board in four of those contests. While senior guard Collin Gillespie was touted as a preseason All-American candidate, it is sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl that is Villanova’s best player in putting up 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Gillespie averages 15.3 points per game and two other players average double figures in scoring. Villanova has gone a perfect 3-0 on the road this season and will make it 4-0 by spanking DePaul in this matchup.
Villanova is 5-1 ATS in its last six games and 4-2 ATS in its last six meetings against DePaul. While the Blue Demons have gone 4-2 ATS in their last six games, DePaul is also 4-13 SU in its last 17 games and 0-10 SU in its last 10 home games against Villanova.
Villanova should be a solid double-digit road favorite in this affair, but I like the Cats to cover that figure with room to spare. Villanova beat DePaul 91-71 as a 15-point road favorite in February and I expect a nearly identical result in this matchup.
Pick: Villanova 88 DePaul 66
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