College Basketball Betting Preview & Pick: Villanova at Temple.

College Basketball Betting Preview & Pick: Villanova at Temple

Written by on December 12, 2017

It is still very early in the college basketball season, but we are already down to just 7 unbeaten teams, and that number is likely to be reduced by the time the regular season draws to a close. Making it through the season totally unscathed is tough, especially once we get to the conference games, where rivalries and familiarity come into play. If any team can make it to the end of the season without taking a loss, the smart College Basketball Betting money might well be on the Villanova Wildcats, as they are ranked #1 right now and have not really been put to the test to severely through their first 10 games of the season. They reached that top spot after a bit of a crazy week in college basketball last week, where 5 of the top 10 teams all fell to losses. That should serve as a warning that making it through the season unbeaten is going to be one heck of a challenge, no matter what the NCAAB odds says. Villanova will try to maintain their winning streak on Wednesday night when they go on the road to face a Temple Owls team that is playing some rather decent ball.

College Basketball Betting Preview & Pick: Villanova at Temple

  • When: Wednesday, December 13
  • Where: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia
  • TV: ESPN 2
  • Radio: 97.5 FM (Villanova) / 1210 AM (Temple)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • College Basketball Betting Odds: TBA

Team Records

  • All: Villanova Wildcats 10-0 / Temple Owls 6-2
  • Home: Villanova Wildcats 8-0 / Temple Owls 5-0
  • Away: Villanova Wildcats 2-0 / Temple Owls 1-2
  • As Favorite: Villanova Wildcats 10-0 / Temple Owls 4-2
  • As Underdog: Villanova Wildcats 0-0 / Temple Owls 2-0
  • ATS: Villanova Wildcats 6-3-1 / Temple Owls 4-4
  • Over/Under: Villanova Wildcats 6-4 / Temple Owls 5-3

Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – December 11th Edition

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

  • Record: Villanova Wildcats lead 7-3
  • Score: Villanova Wildcats 77.00 / Temple Owls 70.10
  • Field Goal Percentage: Villanova Wildcats 46.93 / Temple Owls 41.25
  • Rebounds: Villanova Wildcats 33.80 / Temple Owls 33.70
  • 3 Point Shots: Villanova Wildcats 79-204 / Temple Owls 82-221
  • Steals: Villanova Wildcats 6.10 / Temple Owls 5.70

Why bet on the Villanova Wildcats?

Consistency is the key to success in college basketball, and few teams have been more consistent than the Villanova Wildcats through the opening few weeks of the season. They have never really looked in any kind of trouble on their way to a 10-0 start, and while they have only played one game against a ranked opponent, they looked very good in that one, beating Gonzaga 88-72. The Wildcats are winning by an average of 22 PPG this season, scoring 85 PPG and giving up 63 PPG. They have cracked the 100-point barrier on a couple of different occasions, although both of those games came in the opening week of the season. You look ahead at the schedule for the Wildcats and you don’t really see a major challenge for them until January when they will run into Xavier, who is currently ranked #10. It would not be a surprise to see the Wildcats remain unbeaten until then.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 85.60
  • Field Goal Percentage: 50.00
  • Three-Point Percentage: 40.32
  • Free Throw Percentage: 76.19
  • Total Rebounds: 37.80
Defense
  • Total Score: 63.30
  • Field Goal Percentage: 41.46
  • Three-Point Percentage: 31.05
  • Free Throw Percentage: 66.37
  • Total Rebounds: 30.90

Why bet on the Temple Owls?

The Temple Owls come into this one with a 6-2 record on the season and are on a modest 2-game win streak that came on the heels of a stretch where they lost 2 out of 3. This will be their first tilt against a ranked opponent and will give us a better idea of what this team is all about. Thus far, they have been involved in a ton of tight games, with their average margin of victory coming in at under 6 PPG. Temple is not going to be the favorite at the College Basketball Betting Odds against Villanova. You have to believe that they will be looking to try and keep things close in this one, especially when you consider that they will not be able to hang with Villanova offensively if this thing turns into a wide-open end to end affair. The Owls are way down the list in scoring, averaging a touch over 74 PPG this season, as compared to allowing almost 69 PPG on defense. They look to be in pretty tough in this game.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 74.62
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.97
  • Three-Point Percentage: 37.21
  • Free Throw Percentage: 73.88
  • Total Rebounds: 34.62
Defense
  • Total Score: 68.75
  • Field Goal Percentage: 43.31
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.60
  • Free Throw Percentage: 69.37
  • Total Rebounds: 35.50

Latest College Basketball Betting Trends

  • Owls are 6-11-1 ATS in their last 18 games
  • Owls are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 17 of Temple’s last 25 games
  • Wildcats are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games
  • Wildcats are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Villanova’s last 6 games

Expert College Basketball Betting Pick & Score Prediction

The Villanova Wildcats may eventually take a loss this season, but I don’t think it’s going to be in this game. I like them to win quite comfortable over Temple on Wednesday night. Score: Villanova Wildcats 84 – Temple Owls 68