UConn at Villanova odds, picks and predictions
The UConn Huskies (16-2, 6-1 Big East) and Villanova Wildcats (11-6, 4-2) clash in a Saturday night Big East showdown in Philadelphia. The opening tip at the Wells Fargo Center will be at 8 p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the UConn vs. Villanova odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
UConn, ranked No. 1 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll, has rattled off 6 straight wins since losing (75-60) as an 8-point favorite at Seton Hall Dec. 20. The Huskies' most-recent win in that string was Wednesday when they covered a -6 in a 62-48 triumph at No. 15 Creighton.
Over its last 4 games, Villanova is 2-2 straight up and 1-3 against the spread. The Wildcats' last game was Monday when they were undone by a ranked foe shooting 58.7% from the field in an 87-74 loss (ATS loss as a +6.5) to Marquette.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
UConn at Villanova odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:30 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: UConn -192 (bet $192 to win $100) | Villanova +158 (bet $100 to win $158)
- Against the spread (ATS): UConn -4.5 (-106) | Villanova +4.5 (-114)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
UConn at Villanova picks and predictions
Prediction
UConn 76, Villanova 69
Moneyline
Connecticut is 16-1 over its last 17 games as a favorite; Villanova is 7-14 in its last 21 games as an underdog. The Huskies are 9-2 across their last 11 games against winning teams. And UConn is 3-1 over its last 3 games against the Wildcats.
The Huskies have the slightly better offense, but otherwise the two Big East foes have a lot of areas of commonality, and when there is a potential statistical advantage, the other squad likely defends that area well. Getting quality shots could well be a separator in this game, and Connecticut's recent improvement in perimeter defense (27.9% allowed last 5 games) is a factor that could stand out against a VU five that launches a lot of 3-pointers.
The ML for UConn has been steamed out of range. PASS and look to the spread.
Against the spread
There was a steep shift for UConn Saturday morning, and the spread has swelled from -1.5 to -4.5. That's still in range, but go easy, because we're getting in late.
Take UCONN -4.5 (-106).
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Over/Under
The tempo here figures to be bottom-quartile slow, but the percentage of points coming from beyond the arc should be substantial.
Consider a partial-unit play on the OVER 137.5 (-110).
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from Paste BN Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
College Sports Wire: Men's hoops / Women's hoops / High School