Villanova vs Saint Joseph’s 12/4/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will travel to Finneran Pavilion to take on the 6^th ranked Villanova Wildcats this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 4-3 on the season after defeating the Binghamton Bearcats, 79-57, this past Wednesday. Saint Joseph’s led by a 44-35 margin at halftime and had no trouble pulling away for the victory after taking a 59-39 lead with 14:30 left in regulation. Saint Joseph’s shot 47.6% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc while holding Binghamton to 39.7% from the field & 18.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawks was Jordan Hall who had a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Saint Joseph’s is averaging 72.9 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Hawks are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Joseph’s has been led by Taylor Funk (17.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg), Jordan Hall (13.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg), Ejike Obinna (12.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg), & Erik Reynolds II (8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.7 apg).

Defensively, Saint Joseph’s is allowing their opponents to average 70.4 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Hawks have a rebound margin of 3.3 and a turnover margin of -3.0.

The 6^th ranked Villanova Wildcats won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 5-2 on the season after defeating the Pennsylvania Quakers, 71-56, this past Wednesday. Villanova led by a 33-21 margin at halftime and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 64-49 lead with 3:35 left in regulation. Villanova shot 45.6% from the field 7 32.0% from beyond the arc while holding Pennsylvania to 37.3% shooting from the field & 38.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Collin Gillespie who had 26 points & 3 rebounds.

On the season, Villanova is averaging 79.4 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 11.6 three-pointers per game on 40.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Villanova has been led by Collin Gillespie (17.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Justin Moore (15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg), Brandon Slater (14.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg), & Jermaine Samuels (12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Villanova is holding their opponents to an average of 64.7 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of 5.9.

The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. The Wildcats are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 home games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.

Saint Joseph’s has been able to pick up some decent wins as of late and although they come into this game ranked just 217^th in scoring defense, the Hawks have been much better defensively as of late, allowing their last three opponents to average just 67.0 ppg over their last three games. Villanova has been solid on both ends of the court, however, have been led by their offense that currently ranks 65^th in scoring offense & 8^th in three-pointers made per game.

These are two teams that don’t like each other as they will face off in “The Holy War”  for the 77^th time this Saturday and although Villanova should have no trouble picking up the win, Saint Joseph’s has a better team than what we’ve seen in recent years and as I think they can keep this one within 20 points, I’m taking Saint Joseph’s and the points.