Georgetown Hoyas at Villanova Wildcats, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, January 29, 2011, 12:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Villanova -5.5
Current Line: Villanova -4.5
Opening Total: 145
Current Total: 144.5
Money Line: Villanova -210 / Georgetown +175
The eighth-ranked Villanova Wildcats (17-3, 5-2 Big East) and 21st-ranked Georgetown Hoyas (15-5, 4-4) seem to be headed in opposite directions, but that could all change on Saturday when the teams square off in a key conference showdown. The Wildcats (-4.5) dropped two of three games on their recently completed road trip but now get to put their unbeaten home record on the line against the suddenly hot Hoyas.
Georgetown has won three straight games following a three-game skid and hopes to earn its third road victory in four games after beating Seton Hall and Rutgers away from home. Big East Preseason Player of the Year Austin Freeman has finally come alive for the Hoyas, averaging 22.3 points per game and shooting 55.3 percent from the field during their winning streak. Freeman had not scored more than 21 points in the previous five games, and he averaged 23.5 points on 59.3 percent shooting in splitting two meetings with Villanova last season.
The Wildcats were coming off an impressive 83-72 upset of #9 Syracuse on the road last Saturday when they faced a motivated Providence team on Wednesday. The result against the Friars was a disappointing 83-68 loss, as Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher were as cold as they were hot against the Orange. The duo combined to make only 4 of 26 shots from the field against Providence, missing all 13 shots taken between them in the first half.
Villanova’s third guard Maalik Wayns had another strong game with a team-high 18 points against the Friars after totaling 21 at Syracuse. Wayns will likely be counted on again when the Wildcats face Georgetown since Stokes has struggling mightily against the Hoyas during his career. The senior has averaged just 6.8 points on 25.6 percent shooting in five career meetings.
Georgetown has won six of the last seven meetings with Villanova – including two of the past three at home – going 5-2 against the spread. However, the Hoyas will face a Wildcats team that is a perfect 11-0 at home this season, going 6-2-1 ATS in those games. Georgetown is 8-3 ATS on the road but 2-2 in league games and has not beaten a conference team with a winning record in the Big East. The OVER has cashed in three of the last four meetings between the teams. The UNDER is 4-2 in the last six games for the Hoyas overall and 3-1 in Villanova’s past four.
Now that you have read this Big East college basketball betting preview featuring Villanova & Georgetown, check out the NCAA basketball odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
