The Villanova Wildcats will welcome the UConn Huskies to the Wells Fargo Center for an exciting Big East matchup on FOX.
Villanova would be on a nine-game winning streak if it wasn’t for Marquette. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 11 games with two losses, both coming against Marquette.
Meanwhile, UConn took a loss to Creighton last time out, but overall, has won five of its last six games.
Will Villanova be too much for the Huskies to handle? Here are our college basketball picks and predictions for Connecticut vs. Villanova on Saturday, February 5.
UConn vs Villanova odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Villanova opened as a 6-point favorite but has now been bet down to as low as -5 at most outlets. Meanwhile, the total has dropped from 130 at opening to 129.5. Some outlets are actually holding a 130.5, so make sure to shop around!
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.
UConn vs Villanova predictions
Predictions made on 2/5/2022 at 8:40 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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UConn vs Villanova game info
• Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022
• Tip-off: 12:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
UConn at Villanova betting preview
Injuries
UConn: Akok Akok F (Questionable).
Villanova: Bryan Antoine G (Questionable), Justin Moore G (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Wildcats are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Find more NCAA betting trends for UConn vs. Villanova.
UConn 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
The Big East has produced some of the most exciting games in conference play this season. This game could be another.
The Villanova Wildcats are currently one of the best offenses in the nation. The Wildcats are shooting a 51.8% effective field goal percentage while only turning the ball over 14.8% of the time.
Villanova has also earned 31.6% offensive rebounds per game this season and should be able to do well on the offensive glass against UConn today.
From three, Villanova has hit 36.2%, but inside the arc, Villanova is just 49.6% from the field. The Wildcats are also 82.5% from the foul line, which is the best in the nation.
Meanwhile, Connecticut is fouling at a high rate. The one thing Connecticut doesn’t want to do is foul. The Huskies are defending well other than that, holding teams to an effective field goal percentage of 43.8%.
Opponents have hit 33.9% from downtown, but the Huskies have held teams to just 40.6% from inside the arc on the year. Unfortunately for UConn, Villanova takes a lot more threes, and that’s the one area where Connecticut isn’t as good at defending.
On the other hand, Connecticut is ferocious on the offensive glass. The Huskies are earning 38.6% offensive rebounds on the year, which is second-best in the nation.
The Huskies are shooting 34.9% from deep but just 48.1% from inside. Unlike Villanova, UConn will look to score inside more times than not, which might not work out too well from the Huskies.
Villanova is holding teams to 31% from deep and 47.5% from inside the arc and currently forces nearly 20% turnovers. If Villanova can hold the Huskies off the offensive glass slightly more than the Connecticut average, I like Villanova to pull away late in this game.
Prediction: Villanova -5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
I’m expecting the Huskies to foul at a high rate in this one. Currently, UConn is 274th in the nation in free throws attempted to field goals attempted, and therefore, we could be seeing the Wildcats at the line at a high rate.
Villanova is shooting 82.5% from the foul line. Therefore, consistent points with the time stopped are never a bad thing for Over-backers.
But Connecticut won’t back down and we’ve seen this team storm back against some of the best opponents in the nation. The Huskies aren’t that great at scoring the ball inside, but they will earn second chances and find a way to stick around.
I’ll grab the Over.
Prediction: Over 129.5 (-110)
Best bet
I’m going to stick with Villanova as my favorite play here. The Wildcats, on their home floor, are extremely hard to beat. The offense is usually very crisp and the expectation is that Villanova gets to the line at a high rate.
Also, the Huskies don’t defend the three all that well to begin with. Teams are shooting 33.9% against UConn from long range this season.
On the defensive end, rebounding will be crucial, but if Villanova can just keep the second chances down slightly, the Wildcats will be in a great position to cover this game.
Pick: Villanova -5 (-110)
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