Connecticut vs Villanova Prediction
| What: | Connecticut vs Villanova Prediction 1/8/2025: College Basketball Picks |
| When: | Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 6:30 EST/3:30 PST |
| Where | Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania |
| Connecticut vs Villanova Line: | Connecticut -2.5 |
| Total: | 146.5 |
| TV: | FS1 |
Connecticut vs Villanova Preview
No. 9 Connecticut (12-3, 4-0 in Big East) heads to suburban Philadelphia to face Villanova (10-5, 3-1 in Big East) from Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday night in a Big East Conference battle. In their last 6 games, the two-time defending national champion Huskies are 6-0, beating Texas by 11 (76-65), Gonzaga by 6 (77-71), Xavier by 5 in OT (94-89), Butler by 4 (78-74), DePaul by 13 (81-68), and Providence by 3 in their last game on Sunday (87-84), rallying to win at Home from a 14-point deficit. In their last 5 games, the Wildcats are 4-1, beating Fairleigh Dickinson by 14 (86-72) and Seton Hall by 12 (79-67), losing to Creighton by 7 (86-79), and then beating Butler by 8 (73-65) and DePaul by 44 (100-56). Online sportsbook DraftKings currently has Connecticut priced at 20/1 to capture the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament with Villanova at longshot 200/1 odds.
Connecticut Looking for 9th Straight Win
Connecticut (8-7-0 ATS, 9-5-1 O/U) just hasn’t played like the same dominant team from last season, but the Huskies losing four of its top scorers is a big reason why. UConn has been one of the best ATS bets in College Basketball over the last 3 seasons (67.7%) and went 18-2 in the Big East (38-3 overall) and 8-3 on the Road last season. The Huskies (-134 Moneyline) are led by F Alex Karaban (16.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG), F Liam McNeeley (13.6 PPG, 5.8 PPG, 2.6 APG), G Solo Ball (13.5 PPG), C Tarris Reed Jr. (10.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG), G Hasaan Diarra (8.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 6.5 APG), C Samson Johnson (7.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG), G Aidan Mahaney (5.3 PPG), F Jaylin Stewart (4.9 PPG), and F Jayden Ross (3.9 PPG), a Transfer from Saint Mary’s. This team lost 3 in a row at the Maui Invitational but Head Coach Danny Hurley and the Huskies have rebounded and now won 8 straight heading into this classic showdown. Villanova (2016, 2018) and Connecticut (2022, 2023) have won 4 of the last 8 NCAA Basketball championships.
Connecticut Betting Trends
- The Over is 8-1-1 in the Huskies last 10 games
- The Huskies are 63-30-1 ATS over their last 94 games (67.7%)
- UConn is 38-4 SU in its last 42 games overall (90.5%)
- The Huskies are 12-0 SU/ATS in their last 12 games in March Madness
- Connecticut has played just 3 Road games this season (TEXAS, BUT, DEP)
- The Huskies are 8-0 SU and 5-3 ATS in their last 8 games overall
Villanova is on a Very Profitable 8-2-0 ATS Run
Villanova (9-6-0 ATS, 11-4-0 O/U) has been a Strong Over team to start the season, but now the Wildcats are doing a really good job, winning its betting backers money. After a 1-4-0 ATS start (20%), the Wildcats (+112 Moneyline) have gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games to improve their ATS Winning Percentage to 60%. Villanova (7-1 SU last 8) is led in scoring this season by star F Eric Dixon (25.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG), G Wooga Poplar (13.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG), G Jhamir Brickus (11.3 PPG, 5.9 APG), G Jordan Longino (10.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG), and G Tyler Perkins (7.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG), but the scoring really drops off after those 5 guys and this team could really use some more Bench Scoring (15.5 PPG, Tied-#327).
Villanova Betting Trends
- Villanova is 7-3-0 ATS in the last 10 series meetings
- The Under is also 7-3-0 in the last 10 series meetings
- Villanova is 8-1 at Home this 2024-25 NCAAB season
- The Wildcats are 1-2-0 ATS the last 3 vs Connecticut
- The Under is 4-0-0 in the last 4 series meetings
- Villanova is 6-2-0 ATS in its last 8 games overall
Connecticut vs Villanova Prediction
These two schools are both 5-5 SU in the last 10 series meetings, but Villanova has held the upper hand over ATS, going 7-3-0 despite losing the last 4 in a row SU (2022-2024). The Under has also been a money-maker, going 7-3-0 and hitting the last 3 in a row despite barely going Under in some of those meetings (2.5, 8.5, 8.5). Villanova won 5 of the 6 matchups SU to start the last 10 (2018-2022), but the Wildcats had much stronger teams back then and now the Huskies have become the Beat of the East. This Connecticut vs Villanova NCAAB pick will look to the Totals market and for another low-scoring affair totaling around 130 points at Villanova. The hosts could very well win this one but they are playing a team that has won 8 straight and 2 straight national titles, so the Side is a tricky call. UConn won’t have another bad First Half like they just did vs Providence.