The No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1) and the No. 4 Villanova Wildcats (7-0) square off at Madison Square Garden. Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, and it can be seen on ESPN.
Villanova Wildcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs ATS Preview
In the Wildcats last outing, they won big over the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, 94-53. With 16 points and 11 rebounds, Omari Spellman had a good game for Villanova. Villanova dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a phenomenal offensive rebounding percentage of 43.8 (above their season average of 32.5) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.654 (above their season average of 0.573). Saint Joseph’s had marks of 22.2 and 0.367, respectively, for those same stats.
The Bulldogs come in on a high note after beating the No. 25 Creighton Bluejays in their last game, 91-74. Gonzaga rallied around Killian Tillie, who was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Gonzaga played a perfect game. They had a phenomenal free throw rate of 0.333 (above their season average of 0.231) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 27.6 (below their season average of 36.8). For those same stats, Creighton was 0.067 and 17.6, respectively.
This battle pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses as Gonzaga ranks seventh in offensive efficiency and Villanova is 17th in defensive efficiency since the 2016-17 season.
Villanova Wildcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Villanova, ATS Winner – Villanova, O/U – Under
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Wildcats rank 63rd in three pointers attempted per game (24.0) while the Bulldogs rank 121st in three pointers allowed per game (20.5).
- Villanova is 30th in the nation with 5.1 steals allowed per game while Gonzaga is 42nd with 5.3 steals allowed per game.
- Gonzaga ranks eighth in rebounds per game (41.0) while Villanova ranks 230th (34.5).
- The Bulldogs rank eighth in assists allowed per game (10.2) while the Wildcats rank 146th (13.1).
- Gonzaga ranks 49th in blocks per game (4.5) while Villanova ranks 140th (3.4).
