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(NCAAB) Gonzaga vs. Villanova,
Total: 148.00 | -110.00 Under
Result: Win
Total: 148.00 | -110.00 Under
Result: Win
The set-up: With 161 wins, Gonzaga is the winningest team in Division I basketball since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Villanova, with 15 wins, ranks third. The 8-0 Wildcats (No. 4 in the latest AP poll) will take on the 7-1 Bulldogs, who are currently No. 12, at Madison Square Garden in the first game of the Jimmy V Classic (UConn and Syracuse follow). It feels like an "Old Big East get-together" ('Nova, 'Cuse and UConn), with the little school from from Spokane playing the role of "interloper."
Villanova: The Wildcats are averaging 86.4 PPG (30th) and are coming off one of their best shooting games ever. Villanova connected on 64.6 percent from the floor in Saturday's . 41-point rout of Saint Joseph's. Mikal Bridges, Phil Booth and Omari Spellman each made four 3-pointers Saturday, as Villanova drained a school-record 19. A pair of 6-9 forwards, Paschall (10.4 & 5.5) and Spellman (9.0 & 7.4) join a four-guard rotation of Bridges (17.9 & 6.2), Brunson (17.9 & 4.5 APG), DiVincenzo (11.4) and Booth (11.1). Villanova knows how to put points on the board but also knows how to stop its opponent on the defensive end of the court, allowing 61.6 PPG (20th).
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are a "scary good" offensive team, averaging 92.9 PPG (4th) on 51.2 percent shooting (15th). The 6-9 Williams (15.9 & 6.9) is one of six players in double digits, along with PG Perkins (14.2 & 4.5 APG). The 6-9 Hachimura comes off the bench and is just shy of double digits, averaging 9.8 PPG plus 5.4 RPG. 6-8 freshman Corey Kispert (10.4 & 3.7) started the Zags' first seven games but missed the win over Creighton with an ankle injury. He is uncertain to be on the court Tuesday. The Bulldogs trailed Creighton (then ranked No. 25) by seven at halftime in their last game, before destroying the Bluejays 54-30 after intermission.
The pick: The Wildcats won the 2016 national championship over North Carolina, while the Bulldogs advanced to the 2017 NCAA Tournament title game before losing to the Tar Heels. This is the first real test for the Wildcats and it's the biggest game on Gonzaga's remaining schedule. Potential Wildcats matchups with Arizona and Purdue never materialized in the Bahamas. Instead, when the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket was busted, Villanova beat Northern Iowa for the title. Sure, 'Nova plays excellent D but this is a game between two outstanding offensive teams and the Over is an 8* play.
Villanova: The Wildcats are averaging 86.4 PPG (30th) and are coming off one of their best shooting games ever. Villanova connected on 64.6 percent from the floor in Saturday's . 41-point rout of Saint Joseph's. Mikal Bridges, Phil Booth and Omari Spellman each made four 3-pointers Saturday, as Villanova drained a school-record 19. A pair of 6-9 forwards, Paschall (10.4 & 5.5) and Spellman (9.0 & 7.4) join a four-guard rotation of Bridges (17.9 & 6.2), Brunson (17.9 & 4.5 APG), DiVincenzo (11.4) and Booth (11.1). Villanova knows how to put points on the board but also knows how to stop its opponent on the defensive end of the court, allowing 61.6 PPG (20th).
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are a "scary good" offensive team, averaging 92.9 PPG (4th) on 51.2 percent shooting (15th). The 6-9 Williams (15.9 & 6.9) is one of six players in double digits, along with PG Perkins (14.2 & 4.5 APG). The 6-9 Hachimura comes off the bench and is just shy of double digits, averaging 9.8 PPG plus 5.4 RPG. 6-8 freshman Corey Kispert (10.4 & 3.7) started the Zags' first seven games but missed the win over Creighton with an ankle injury. He is uncertain to be on the court Tuesday. The Bulldogs trailed Creighton (then ranked No. 25) by seven at halftime in their last game, before destroying the Bluejays 54-30 after intermission.
The pick: The Wildcats won the 2016 national championship over North Carolina, while the Bulldogs advanced to the 2017 NCAA Tournament title game before losing to the Tar Heels. This is the first real test for the Wildcats and it's the biggest game on Gonzaga's remaining schedule. Potential Wildcats matchups with Arizona and Purdue never materialized in the Bahamas. Instead, when the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket was busted, Villanova beat Northern Iowa for the title. Sure, 'Nova plays excellent D but this is a game between two outstanding offensive teams and the Over is an 8* play.
