The fifth-ranked Villanova Wildcats battle the sixth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic championship game on Sunday. The Wildcats (3-1), who have won two in a row, defeated Tennessee 71-53 in Saturday’s semifinal. The Boilermakers (4-0), who have scored 90 points or more in each game this season, defeated No. 18 North Carolina 93-84 on Saturday in the other semifinal. Villanova holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series.
The game from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. ET. Villanova is averaging 84.8 points per game, while Purdue averages 94.3. The Boilermakers are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Villanova vs. Purdue odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 141. Before making any Purdue vs. Villanova picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,100 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 locked in on Villanova vs. Purdue and released its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Purdue vs. Villanova:
- Villanova vs. Purdue spread: Purdue -3.5
- Villanova vs. Purdue over-under: 141 points
- Villanova vs. Purdue money line: Villanova +145, Purdue -170
- VIL: The Wildcats are 24-11-1 against the spread in their last 36 neutral site games
- PUR: The Boilermakers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall
Featured Game | Purdue Boilermakers vs. Villanova Wildcats
Why Purdue can cover
Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic was red hot against the Tar Heels on Saturday, scoring 23 points and dishing out eight assists. For the season, Stefanovic is averaging 16 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He is a 40.3 percent career 3-point shooter. He had a strong junior season, appearing in 25 games with 21 starts in 2020-21 and averaged 9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while shooting 41.6 percent from the floor.
Senior forward Trevion Williams also had a strong effort against North Carolina, finishing with 20 points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes of action. He is averaging 13.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Williams was dominant last season, starting 26 games and earning first-team All-Big Ten Conference and honorable mention All-America honors. He also was named one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given annually to the nation’s top center.
Why Villanova can cover
The Wildcats also have four players who average in double-figure scoring. Junior guard Justin Moore leads the team at 17.5 points per game and is averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. In 25 games last season, he averaged 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds. In the season-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s, he set a career high with 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor.
Redshirt senior guard Collin Gillespie scored 14 points and dished out four assists in 32 minutes of action on Saturday against Tennessee. Gillespie is off to a solid start to the season, averaging 16.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. This is the fourth season in a row that he has averaged in double-digit scoring. He was named a third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association following last season.
How to make Villanova vs. Purdue picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total. In fact, it says Villanova’s Jordan Longino will score three more points than his season average, while Purdue’s Eric Hunter Jr. will better his season average by almost five points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Purdue vs. Villanova? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Villanova vs. Purdue spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $2,100 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.
