Temple Owls vs. Villanova Wildcats Predictions, Picks, Odds and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – December 13, 2016

Temple Owls vs. Villanova Wildcats Betting Preview

Where: The Pavilion — Villanova, Pennsylvania

When: Tuesday, December 13, 7:00 PM ET

Line: Temple Owls (+16.5) vs. Villanova Wildcats (-16.5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines

TV Broadcast: FS1

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Betting on the Temple Owls (+16.5)

Temple is 2-0 against Top-25 teams this season, beating then-No. 19 West Virginia and then-No. 25 Florida State. Both games were won by single-digits, something that the Owls have made a habit of in most of their games thus far.

All but one of their seven wins have been decided below 10 points, while their three setbacks (New Hampshire, UMass and George Washington) on the year were lost by just 11 points combined. It’s most likely that we’ll get to see another close game tonight, when Temple dukes it out with No. 1 Villanova in the final Big 5 game of the season. ‘Nova only owns a slim 46-42 lead in the all-time series.

The Owls have punished their opponents through a steady offense that’s averaging close to 80 points per game, and one that features four starters scoring in double-figures. They’re led by junior forward Obi Enechionyia (18.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG) and freshman guard Shizz Alston Jr. (12.6 PPG, 4.6 APG).

This team can go on unpredictable scoring runs, but what makes them vulnerable is its inability to protect leads and its inconsistencies on defense. Last Saturday’s game versus DePaul was a perfect example of that, as Temple built an early 25-point lead before having to hang on to 75-64 victory.

Betting on the Villanova Wildcats (-16.5)

No. 1 Villanova is going for its 18th-consecutive Big 5 victory and, more importantly, remain perfect this season.

The Wildcats overcame a serious scare in their 74-66 win over then-No. 23 Notre Dame last Saturday—a game in which ‘Nova overcame an 11-point deficit and witnessed a one-of-a-kind performance from senior guard Josh Hart.

Hart did everything for the Wildcats in that game, finishing with a career-best 37 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while going 14-of-14 from the charity stripe. He was also the only player in the team who scored in double-digits.

Fatigue could be an issue for Hart and company after that hard-fought game with the Fighting Irish, so it’s likely going to take a collective effort from the reigning national champions to get past a resilient Temple squad. Look for starters Kris Jenkins, Josh Brunson and Mikal Bridges, all of whom were held to no more than eight points against Notre Dame, to bounce back and lend Hart some support on offense.

Writer’s Prediction

Villanova (-16.5) wins it, 83-70.

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