The college basketball betting board for Tuesday is headlined by a clash between the two best teams in the Big East as the Providence Friars host the Villanova Wildcats.
This should be a fantastic matchup between a pair of conference rivals that both sit in the Top 10 of the AP Rankings and have played plenty of close games against each other in recent years. The Wildcats enter this contest as 4.5-point road favorites with the Over/Under at 132.5.
Here are our best free college basketball picks and predictions for Villanova vs. Providence on February 15, with tipoff at 8 p.m. ET.
Villanova vs Providence odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with Villanova at -4 with the Over/Under at 130.5. Early money has come in Nova and the Over, shifting the line to -4.5 and moving the total 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.
Villanova vs Providence predictions
Predictions made on 2/15/2022 at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Villanova vs Providence game info
• Location: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI
• Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
Villanova at Providence betting preview
Injuries
Villanova: No injuries to report.
Providence: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Friars are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games versus a team with a winning road record. Find more NCAA betting trends for Villanova vs. Providence.
Villanova vs Providence 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 No. 10-ranked Villanova Wildcats have won six of their last seven games and are fresh off a 73-67 win against Seton Hall on Saturday. However, they are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall and haven't covered the spread in three straight away contests.
Now they head to Dunkin' Donuts Center in Rhode Island where No. 8-ranked Providence has gone a perfect 14-0 SU this season. The Friars are coming off a 76-73 overtime victory against DePaul and have won eight games in a row.
The Wildcats entered this season as National Championship favorites due to a deep and experienced lineup led by Collin Gillespie (16.2 points per game), Justin Moore (15.2 ppg), and Jermaine Samuels (10.2 ppg). That said, while they rarely commit turnovers, they don't shoot the ball particularly well.
Nova shoots just 44% from the floor, with that number dropping to just 40.3% on the road. While that number is a bit deflated from a hideous 36-point performance against Baylor in December, the Wildcats also shot below 40% from the field in conference road games against Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette.
That's bad news against a stingy Providence squad that holds foes to 64.6 points per game on a 40.6% shooting. The Friars have terrific size inside with leading scorer Nate Watson (13.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game) and power forward Noah Horchler cleaning up on the glass.
They also defend the three-ball very well (opponent 26.4 3PT% in their last six games) and limit possessions with a slow-paced style. That should help them keep things close if not win outright as slim home dogs.
Prediction: Providence +4.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
We mentioned that the Friars play at a slow pace but the Wildcats are even more sluggish, ranking just 354th in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. They also compete very hard on the defensive end of the floor, limiting foes to 62.7 ppg on 40.2 FG%.
Both of these squads also tend to play lower-scoring games against quality opposition, with the Under 4-0 in the Friars' last four games against a team with a winning record and the Wildcats going 2-6 O/U in their previous eight contests versus teams over .500.
With the Under also cashing in four straight games in the head-to-head, including a 54-52 defensive battle last March in Providence, we're leaning in that direction again tonight.
Prediction: Under 132.5 (-110)
Best bet
With how well the Friars have played this season, especially at home, there is value in backing them to win outright. They are the No. 8 team in the country for a reason and play extremely well on the defensive end of the floor. They've also shot the ball much better in front of their home crowd, boasting a 46.8 FG% at home compared to 39.8 FG% on the road.
Considering that both teams are loaded with upperclassmen it's also worth looking at recent head-to-head history and that also indicates that the Friars have a good chance. Despite a disappointing .500 campaign last year, Providence still picked up a 2-point home victory against Nova and they also beat the Wildcats 58-54 two years ago on the road. Grab Providence on the moneyline.
Pick: Providence ML (+170)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
