Coming into the season, Villanova is the clear-cut best team in the Big East on paper. Now the Wildcats need to prove just how dominant they can be as they welcome a sneaky Mount St. Mary’s to Finneran Pavilion.
Mount St. Mary’s ended up playing Texas Southern in a 16 vs. 16 game and made March Madness last year. However, the Mountaineers didn’t advance and lost 60-52 after winning the NEC last season.
Meanwhile, Villanova was knocked out of the Tournament last year by the eventual champs in Baylor.
Read our picks and predictions on the Mount St. Mary’s vs. Villanova basketball game for November 9 on Fox Sports 1.
Mount St. Mary's vs Villanova odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Villanova opened as a 24.5-point favorite and hasn't moved since. The total has moved, however, from 134 at open down to 132.5. 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.
Mount St. Mary's vs Villanova predictions
Predictions made on 11/09/2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Mount St. Mary's vs Villanova game info
• Location: Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, PA
• Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2021
• Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
Mount St. Mary's at Villanova betting preview
Injuries
Mount St. Mary's: No injuries to report.
Villanova: Bryan Antoine (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Wildcats are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven home games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Mount St. Mary's vs. Villanova.
Mount St. Mary's vs Villanova picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Villanova is not only looking for a Big East title - they’re also looking for a March Madness, National Championship title. Coming into the season, Villanova is a Top 5 team after losing just two players from last season’s squad.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl went pro, and Cole Swider transferred, but don’t worry. Collin Gillespie is returning for his extra year, along with Jermaine Samuels.
There’s so much talent and experience on Villanova led by Gillespie, who averaged 14 points per game last season. Samuels added 12 points per game as well. Now both will be back for that extra year moving forward, which is crucial.
Gillespie tore his MCL and didn’t get to play a full season, yet Villanova still found a way to win the Big East. Imagine them with a healthy Gillespie.
On the other hand, Mount St. Mary’s will be a solid team in the NEC this season. They might not win the whole thing this year, but they’ll be close.
The Mountaineers only lost point guard Damian Chong Qui, but will return everyone else with the addition of Jalen Benjamin from UAB and Elijah Elliott, who is a D-2 transfer.
Mount St. Mary’s can play nine deep in NEC play but probably can’t do that against Villanova. Benjamin is going to have to try to bring what Chong Qui brought to this team and at 5-10, he’ll be sneaky in NEC play, but too small against Villanova.
However, I will say that Mount St. Mary’s has a lot of height, with their starting lineup consisting of three players that are 6-foot, 8-inches or taller.
It might be a slow start for both teams, but I like Villanova to pull away late as Mount St. Mary’s starts to fatigue and get in foul trouble.
Prediction: Villanova -24.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Mount St. Mary’s scored just 52 points in their loss to Texas Southern in the March Madness play-in game. The defense has done wonders with so many tall athletes, but the offense isn’t all that impressive. They’ve got five guys that are capable of scoring 10 or more points a night but not a single player that can be a reliable go-to scorer.
Meanwhile, Villanova still has questions about their depth and Jay Wright is going to want to put them in action against Mount St. Mary’s before having to face UCLA on Friday.
Therefore, I like the Under in this matchup between Villanova and Mount St. Mary’s. Villanova will have a slow start and that should help the Under hit.
Prediction: Under 132.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Under is also my favorite bet of this game. There are questions when it comes to depth for Villanova. Outside of their starters, the next three players off the bench, not including freshmen, scored 6.1 points combined per game last season. I’m sure the bench has improved, and the players have developed, but those questions haven’t been answered yet.
I’m not going to sit here and assume players developed and got better. I need to see it before I believe it. Plus, with all the defense out of Mount St. Mary’s and the height that they’ve got, rebounding should be a bit more difficult on the offensive end for Villanova.
So, give me the Under as my favorite play of this game.
Pick: Under 132.5 (-110)
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