The Saint Joseph’s Hawks and the Villanova Wildcats meet in college basketball action from the Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday night. It’s another Big 5 matchup, can the Hawks be the second team in the Big 5 to upset ‘Nova this season? Let’s dive in and find out. You’re welcome to read our Saint Joseph’s vs Villanova Prediction.

Saint Joseph’s Takes Out Sacred Heart

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks come into this one looking to build on a 64-55 win over Sacred Heart last time out. Erik Reynolds II leads the Hawks in scoring with 16.2 PPG along with 2.8 APG while Rasheer Fleming has 10 PPG with 6 RPG. Cameron Brown and Xzayvier Brown each have 11.3 PPG with 4+ RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for the Hawks so far this season. Lynn Greer III has 9.8 PPG with a team-high 4.5 APG to lead the Hawks in the assist department and Christ Essandoko has a team-high 6.6 RPG to lead the Hawks on the glass this season. As a team, Saint Joseph’s is averaging 76 PPG on 43.2% shooting from the field, 33.8% from three and 67.4% from the foul line this season.

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Villanova Wins Battle 4 Atlantis

The Villanova Wildcats come into this game looking to build on their 6-1 start after hoisting the Battle 4 Atlantis trophy with a 79-63 win over Memphis last time out. Justin Moore leads the Wildcats in scoring and assists with 15.6 PPG and 2.3 APG along with 3.7 RPG while Eric Dixon has 14 PPG and a team-high 7.6 RPG to lead the Wildcats on the glass. TJ Bamba has 10.1 PPG with 3.6 RPG and Tyler Burton has 10 PPG and 7.6 RPG of his own this season to round out the scoring in double figures for Villanova. As a team, Villanova is averaging 78.4 PPG on 43.5% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 83.6% from the foul line this season.

Chris’ Pick

I’m going to take Saint Joseph’s and the points here. The Hawks are no pushover, as we saw against Kentucky in a hostile road environment at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats defend the inside well, but they allow a ton of threes and Saint Joseph’s has shown that when they’re falling, they can put a scare into anyone. Nova is a solid team, but they’ve already fallen short against Penn this season and I think a this line may be a lot of carryover after running through the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. I think the Hawks can keep this one within single digits, so give me the Hawks and the points.