The opening night of the Gavitt Tipoff Games continues Monday night as the Providence Friars will travel to the Kohl Center in Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers for a 9:00 p.m. ET tipoff.
The Friars started the season sluggish in defeating Fairfield 80-73 but responded well in the second game of the season with a 92-64 win over Sacred Heart. They'll be in tough as college basketball betting underdogs against a Badgers team that is allowing just 46 points per game through its two opening contests.
With Providence averaging 86 ppg, can Wisconsin shut down the Friars at home? Find out in our free college basketball picks and predictions for Providence vs. Wisconsin on Monday, November 15.
Providence vs Wisconsin odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Wisconsin Badgers opened as 7.5-point favorites but have now shifted all the way down to -4.5 at most books. Meanwhile, the total hasn’t moved as drastically, opening at 132.5 and currently sitting at 131.5 at the time of writing. 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.
Providence vs Wisconsin predictions
Predictions made on 11/15/2021 at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Providence vs Wisconsin game info
• Location: Kohl Center, Madison, WI
• Date: Monday, November 15, 2021
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
Providence at Wisconsin betting preview
Injuries
Providence: None to report.
Wisconsin: Jahcobi Neath G (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 6-1 in the Friars' last seven Monday games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Providence vs. Wisconsin.
Providence vs Wisconsin 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
The Wisconsin Badgers are playing terrific defense to start the season. They’re not just holding opponents to a measly 46 points per game, but Wisconsin is also holding teams to an effective field goal percentage of 36 while limiting offensive rebounds and free throw attempts.
Granted, Wisconsin has only played mid-major opponents, but the mid-major to high-major playing field is starting to see a wide gap shrink a bit.
The Badgers have an entirely different team than last year’s group with just Brad Davison, Jonathan Davis, and Tyler Wahl returning from the key group last season. With additions like Chris Vogt from Cincinnati and Jahcobi Neath from Wake Forest, the Badgers are still very deep — especially inside the paint.
On the other hand, Providence will return more familiar faces but lost David Duke to professional basketball. Providence elected to replace Duke with Indiana transfer Al Durham and so far it’s worked out well: Durham is averaging 15 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds through two games.
Meanwhile, the Friars will still have Nate Watson, who averaged nearly 17 ppg last year, along with Alyn Breed, who could be the Sixth Man of the Year in the Big East if he continues to come off the bench.
Last season, Providence was very hit or miss as there was no consistency with this program. Going up against Wisconsin and their defense, if Watson doesn’t get going early, we’ve got no confidence in Providence to win this game.
Prediction: Wisconsin -4.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Providence will do one of two things: Shoot and score or shoot and miss. There’s no in-between. If Providence misses, and Nate Watson struggles to score inside, against Wisconsin’s length, getting points will be extremely tough.
So far against Wisconsin, opponents are shooting 21.6 percent from long range while Providence is allowing teams to shoot 35.6 percent from deep.
Wisconsin and Providence will both shoot plenty of threes and the reality is, Wisconsin is deep enough where it can defend the perimeter with anyone and keep you feeling confident that it will get enough stops and rebounds.
We’ll take the Under with Wisconsin at home.
Prediction: Under 132.5 (-110)
Best bet
We’ll stick with the Under in this matchup. Providence has struggled to defend the three and isn't nearly as deep — but it still takes two to tango.
If Providence doesn’t show up and give their fair share, the game is going Under.
You can’t predict fouls but this feels like a potentially aggressive game down low. If Nate Watson has to exit the game for more than his fair share due to foul trouble, Providence doesn’t have the depth to replace him.
Pick: Under 132.5 (-110)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
