Nova Report
The 18th ranked Villanova Wildcats, fresh off their Battle 4 Atlantis Championship, are at home to face Philadelphia rival St. Joseph’s (4-2). The game starts at 6:30 pm eastern and will be televised on FS1. Nova is -12.5/140.5.
This IS the HOLY WAR! It’s a City Series, Big 5 and Philadelphia Classic Championship game all rolled into one. If you listen to the St. Joe’s fans, it’s their Super Bowl! The 4 Villanova transfers (Bamba, Burton, Hart and Ware) found out the hard way that these Big 5 games are not just another game on the schedule as the Cats lost to Penn earlier this season.
The Hawks are coached by former Nova assistant Billy Lange. They most recently took Kentucky into OT in Lexington as they drained 15 3 pointers. They score about 45% of their points behind the arc. They are lead by Erik Reynolds (16.2 ppg, 43% from 3) and 4 players who average around 10 points per game. They move the ball around a lot to get open looks for 3’s. Defensively, they force 14.5 turnovers per game. They shoot a poor 67% from the free throw line.
For the Wildcats, losing to Penn turned on a light switch as they have been a different team defensively and offensively ever since. They have dismantled Maryland, Texas Tech, North Carolina and Memphis after that loss. They all know this will be a battle this evening.
This is a tough one to handicap. If St. Joseph’s gets hot from beyond the arc, who knows what could happen. If they are cold, the Cats roll. It’s tough to lay double digits in a Big 5 game. My pick will be the Over.
Nova Pick: Over 140 (buy 1/2 point)
Nova Pick Record: 4-3