The No. 4 Villanova Wildcats (8-0) are off to a hot start and will try to stay unbeaten when they take on the La Salle Explorers (4-3) at Wells Fargo Center. Villanova is a 21-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 139 points. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 10, 2017.
La Salle Explorers at Villanova Wildcats ATS Preview
In the Explorers last contest, they lost a tough one against the Drexel Dragons, 72-70. With 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting, B.J. Johnson led La Salle in scoring. Drexel had an offensive rebounding percentage of 35.7 (above their season average of 25.9). La Salle, on the other hand, forced the Dragons into a turnover percentage of 22.7 (above their season average of 16.2).
The Wildcats will look to maintain momentum after defeating the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last contest, 88-72. With 28 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Mikal Bridges was the games high scorer. Villanova dominated every facet of the game. They had a turnover percentage of 14.7 (worse than their season average of 14.6) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.603 (above their season average of 0.585). Gonzaga was 23.7 and 0.538, respectively, for those same stats.
The prolific offense of Villanova will square off against the porous defense of La Salle. Since the 2016-17 season, the Wildcats rank seventh in offensive efficiency, while the Explorers are 293rd in defensive efficiency. The Wildcats figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
Neither team has shown a tendency in terms of going over or under the projected point total. The Wildcats come into this game with a sizable advantage in terms of straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 8-0 SU and 7-2 ATS, while the Explorers are 4-3 SU and 4-5-1 ATS.
The Wildcats won the only contest against the Explorers last season, 89-79. The Wildcats played a nearly perfect game. They had an extraordinarily low turnover percentage of 7.5 and a great offensive rebounding percentage of 31.4. For those same stats, the Explorers were 14.4 and 19.4, respectively.
La Salle Explorers vs. Villanova Wildcats Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Villanova, ATS Winner – La Salle, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Wildcats rank 33rd in steals allowed per game (5.1) while the Explorers rank 86th (5.8).
- Villanova allows the 15th-fewest blocks per game (2.3) while La Salle ranks 41st (2.8).
- Villanova ranks 14th in rebounds allowed per game (29.9) while La Salle ranks 96th (33.8).
- The Wildcats rank 106th in assists per game (14.5) while the Explorers rank 183rd in assists allowed per game (14.5).
- Villanova ranks 74th in three pointers attempted per game (24.0) while La Salle ranks 141st in three pointers allowed per game (21.8).
