Virginia Cavaliers vs. Villanova Wildcats Betting Preview
Where: Wells Fargo Center — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
When: Sunday, January 29, 2017, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Virginia Cavaliers (+5) vs. Villanova Wildcats (-5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
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Betting on Virginia Cavaliers (16-3, 6-2 ACC)
Point Spread: +5
The Hoos are hot right now. They go into this game as winners of their last five, including Tuesday night’s 71-54 victory over No. 14 Notre Dame. That game was closer than what the final score indicates, but there was no denying that 12th-ranked Virginia outperformed the Fighting Irish.
London Perrantes was in the zone, particularly from down town where he knocked five threes to finish with a game-high 22 points and five rebounds. He’s now scored 20-plus points in three of the last five games, and is clearly the heart and soul of the Cavs’ offense.
That’s not what Virginia’s about, though. This team lives and dies on the other end of the floor, wherein the Cavs have the nation’s best scoring defense (53.3) and have limited their previous three foes to no more than 54 points. It’ll be easier said than done in doing that versus Villanova’s loaded offense, which averages nearly 80 points a contest this season.
Betting on the Villanova Wildcats (19-2, 7-2 Big East)
Point Spread: -5
Top-ranked Villanova was left stunned in its most recent game. The Wildcats unexpectedly collapsed in the latter stages of Monday’s matchup with Marquette, during which they conceded a 13-point advantage in the second half which allowed the Golden Eagles to steal the win, 74-72.
Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each racked up 16 or more points, but received insufficient support from the rest. The Wildcats were only shooting 40.3 percent from the field and surprisingly just 17.6 percent from three. Their defense also couldn’t get the job done, allowing Marquette to a collective 50.0 field goal percentage, including 13 treys.
Villanova has yet to lose back-to-back games this season, but that may change this afternoon against No. 12 Virginia if the Wildcats struggle with their stroke or play lackadaisical defense again. They are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 74-70.
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