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Villanova vs Providence Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Visitors Look to End Pair of Streaks in Big East Marquee Matchup

Streaking Providence Perfect at Home

A matchup of top-10 teams with more than 12,000 fans is expected at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., for the game of the year — up to this point — in the Big East.

Villanova is just 6-4 on the road and has a pair of hobbled starting guards, but the Wildcats are also in a position where a loss on Tuesday might leave too much of a hill to climb to win the Big East regular-season Big East title.

Villanova Wildcats vs Providence Friars Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions
Dylan Buell/Getty Images/AFP

A victory by the first-place Friars would put them up by three games in the loss column.

The Friars have won eight in a row and are 14-0 at home. Providence also is 4-0 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but Villanova had played nine games against ranked teams. That is tied for the third-most in the country so the Wildcats are most certainly battle-tested.

Providence (-235) leads Villanova (+130) in the odds to win the Big East title. Villanova (+500) tops Providence (+2300) in the odds to reach the Final Four.

Villanova at Providence Game Information

  • Game: Villanova (19-6, 12-3) at Providence (21-2, 11-1)
  • Location: Dunkin Donuts Center
  • Day/Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET
  • Television: CBS Sports Network

Villanova Backcourt Back at Practice

The biggest news coming out of Villanova was that the Wildcats’ ailing backcourt of Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore took part in Monday’s practice.

Both Gillespie and Moore have been slowed by ankle issues that kept them out of practices recently but not out of games.

Gillespie is just 3 of 11 in his last two games, although he did have 15 rebounds in those two contests. Moore is shooting just 29 percent from the field in his last four games. He missed all seven of his 3-point shots in a loss to Marquette but was able to contribute enough to help the Wildcats win tough tests at St. John’s and at home against Seton Hall.

Now comes a game against the only team in the Big East yet to lose at home.

“We’ve had a lot of battles with Providence over the years and we know how tough it is to be the road team in the Dunk,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “(Providence coach) Ed (Cooley) has done an incredible job this year and they’re playing as well as anyone in the country.”

Eight of the last nine times Villanova played at Providence, the game was decided by less than 10 points, with the Wildcats winning five of those eight contests.

Villanova is 5-2 against the college basketball spreads in its last seven games against Providence.

Bynum Coming on Strong for Providence

Jared Bynum was still trying to find his way with the Providence basketball team eight games into the season.

The junior guard scored in double figures just once in those games and averaged just 6.6 points on 32 percent shooting. The Friars suffered one of their two defeats during that stretch as Bynum had two points in 19 minutes in a loss to Virginia.

Those struggles are ancient history now. Bynum has scored in double figures six times during the Friars’ eight-game winning streak. Bynum has 57 points in the last two games on 63.3 percent shooting, including 69 percent from 3-point range. He has also added 12 rebounds, eight assists and six steals while coming off the bench.

“Coach emphasized pushing the ball at halftime and playing the way we normally do,” Bynum said after an overtime win over DePaul. “When they make it a half-court game, you have to make sure you’re smart and stick to the stuff you work on.”

The total established by the Las Vegas odds has gone over in six of Providence’s last nine games.

Villanova at Providence Head-to-Head

Three of the last four games between Villanova and Providence have been decided by four points or less, with Providence winning two of those three contests.

Villanova had a pair of five-game winning streaks in the series from 2016-18 and 2018-20

The team that won also covered against the spread in each of the last seven meetings while each of the last four games has gone under the total.

Villanova at Providence Prediction

Providence and Villanova rank first and second in the Big East in scoring defense so don’t anticipate too many offensive fireworks, which is why the game has a relatively low total of 132.

Something for those who bet online to consider: The visiting team has won six of the last eight games in this series.

The total has gone under in the last six times Villanova played at Providence.

Pick: Providence Friars (+4½)

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