Delaware vs Villanova South Region Picks: 'Nova Backcourt Sparks Big Win

In a meeting between two teams that won their respective conference tournaments, the Villanova Wildcats will take on the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in the first round of March Madness.

In the eight years since Delaware’s last appearance in the Big Dance, Villanova has won two national championships. 

Will the Wildcats show the Blue Hens that they don’t belong? Check out our Delaware vs. Villanova March Madness picks and predictions to find out. 

Delaware vs Villanova odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Villanova opened as a 15-point favorite in this meeting with Delaware, and the line has since been bouncing back and forth between 15 and 15.5. The total, which opened at 135, is down to 133.5 or 134 across most books. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Delaware vs Villanova predictions

• Prediction: Villanova -15 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 134 (-110)
• Best bet: Villanova -15 (-110)

Predictions made on 3/17/2022 at 12:05 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Delaware vs Villanova game info

• Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
• Date: Friday, March 18, 2022
• Tip-off: 2:45 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS

Delaware vs Villanova betting preview

Injuries

Delaware: Logan Curtis G (Questionable), Aleks Novakovich F (Out), Johnny McCoy G (Out).
Villanova: Nnanna Nkoku F (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Villanova is 14-3 against the spread in the last 17 games in which it was favored in the NCAA Tournament.  Find more NCAA betting trends for Delaware vs. Villanova.

Delaware vs Villanova picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

Villanova is tied for 41st in the nation in opponent field goal percentage and tied for 48th in the country in opponent 3-point percentage. Delaware, meanwhile, is tied for just 151st in college basketball in threes made per game. If that number were higher, perhaps there’d be a chance that the Blue Hens would be able to shoot their way into this game. 

But considering the Wildcats defend the 3-point line well, while also doing a good job of not letting teams get easy shots at the rim, it’s just hard to see where Delaware is going to get enough scoring to compete in a game like this. 

Jameer Nelson Jr. is sure to be a player that new fans fall in love with, as he’s averaging 13.7 points per game and is the son of former Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. Nelson Jr. is also joined by two other guards that can score the basketball, but the Wildcats are pretty relentless when defending the perimeter. 

Also, Villanova’s backcourt is the strength of the team, as Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore and Caleb Daniels are all fantastic players for Jay Wright’s program. That trio is not going to be outplayed by Delaware’s, and Jermaine Samuels will be the best forward on the court in this one. With that in mind, this game has the potential to get out of hand — especially in the second half, when Villanova’s tournament experience shines through.

Villanova is 14-3 against the spread in the last 17 NCAA Tournament games in which the team has been favored. The team is also 16-5 ATS in its last 21 NCAA Tournament games, in general. There’s just no way to downplay the type of coaching these players get. This is a championship program, and the Wildcats should be able to turn in a great performance against an opponent that isn’t on their level. 

Prediction: Villanova -15 (-110)

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Over/Under analysis

Villanova is 30th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency (all efficiency stats from KenPom.com), so this is clearly a team that can get a lot of stops. Considering the Wildcats are facing a team that doesn’t make a ton of threes, it’s not likely that their opponent in this one will be putting up a lot of points. Meanwhile Villanova’s offense might be ninth in the country in adjusted efficiency, but the team is also just 345th in adjusted tempo. That means that only 13 teams in Division I basketball play slower than the Wildcats — which is going to infuriate Over bettors. 

The Under is 4-0 in Delaware’s last four games against teams with winning percentages over 60.0%, and it’s also 6-0 in the last six neutral-court games that Villanova has played as a favorite. The average total score in the latter situation is 111.9 points per game, so it actually hasn’t even been close to touching the total in this game.  

Prediction: Under 134 (-110) 

Best bet

Not only do the trends show you how impressive these Wildcats are when March Madness rolls around, but they’re also 6-2 ATS in the last eight neutral-court games that they’ve played as favorites. Villanova also happens to be 46-21-3 in the last 70 games in which the team is coming off an ATS loss, and the Wildcats were unable to cover in their Big East Tournament victory over the Creighton Bluejays. With that, Villanova should be locked in from the jump against this Delaware team. 

It should also be noted that the Blue Hens are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight-up win. They’re also 1-4 ATS in the last five neutral-court games that they’ve played as underdogs. And none of these Delaware players have any idea what it’s like to deal with the pressure of the NCAA Tournament. 

Pick: Villanova -15 (-110)

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