Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats tip off the 2021-22 season on Tuesday afternoon. Villanova hosts the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers in an intriguing nonconference showdown. The Wildcats finished at 18-7 a season ago, returning much of the production from the best team in the Big East. Mount St. Mary’s finished with a 12-11 record overall in 2020-21.
Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats are listed as 24.5-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 132.5 in the latest Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s odds. Before making any Mount St. Mary’s vs. Villanova picks, make sure you check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s and just revealed its CBB picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Mount St. Mary’s vs. Villanova:
- Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s spread: Villanova -24.5
- Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s over-under: 132.5 points
- NOVA: The Wildcats were 13-11-1 against the spread last season
- MSM: The Mountaineers were 11-11 against the spread in 2020-21
Why Villanova can cover
Under Wright, Villanova is a perennial power, and the team’s offense is devastating. In 2020-21, the Wildcats ranked No. 6 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, and Villanova brings back several key pieces, headlined by 2020-21 Big East Player of the Year Collin Gillespie. Villanova was a top-five team in the country in turnover avoidance, giving the ball away on only 13.7 percent of offensive possessions, and the Wildcats ranked No. 2 in the country in avoiding steals.
The Wildcats are always a very impressive shooting team as well, hitting 53.4 percent on 2-point attempts, 35.3 percent on 3-point attempts and 76.3 percent on free-throw attempts last season. Defensively, Villanova is also up to the challenge, ranking in the top three of the Big East in defensive efficiency, defensive rebound rate and free throw rate allowed last season. All in all, the Wildcats have the profile of a national title contender and Big East frontrunner this season.
Why Mount St. Mary’s can cover
The Mountaineers are potent, particularly on the defensive end, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. UAB transfer Jalen Benjamin arrives to captain the offense this season, with redshirt senior forward Nana Opoku serving as the returning leader in scoring with 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last season. Mount St. Mary’s plays with a slow tempo, but the Mountaineers have good size for a mid-major squad.
Last season, Mount St. Mary’s led the NEC in defensive efficiency, and the Mountaineers ranked in the top 10 nationally in opponent shooting efficiency. The Mountaineers also posted an 11.2 percent block rate, strongly above the national average, and Mount St. Mary’s controlled the defensive glass in securing 75.2 percent of available rebounds. Finally, Mount St. Mary’s was a top-35 team in the country in free-throw prevention.
How to make Mount St. Mary’s vs. Villanova picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, suggesting the teams combine for 137 points. It also says one side of the spread is hitting well over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s? And which side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up $2,200 on its top-rated college basketball spread picks over the last five years, and find out.
