College Hoops Picks Feb. 4, 2009: Villanova Wildcats at Providence Friars

Villanova Wildcats (5-3, 17-4) at Providence Friars (6-3, 14-7)

Wednesday, Feb. 4—8:00 PM EST

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Preview

Villanova (5-3, 17-4) is coming off of a huge week—after upsetting Pitt on Wednesday by ten, they hosted Cincinnati and beat them by 21. The win over the Panthers marked their first win over a Top 25 team this season, and their three Big East losses have all come from current top ten teams (Marquette, Louisville, and Connecticut).

Providence (6-3, 14-7) has a week full of mixed emotions—after taking down Syracuse in an incredibly high-scoring affair, the Friars were blown out by 33 in Hartford. Against UConn, Providence had the wrong gameplan—they kept trying to go straight at Thabeet the way the Hoyas did, and it backfired completely.

The Friars have been a very pleasant surprise this season—they are sitting well above where many expected them to be at the beginning of the season. They still have to face some very tough Big East opponents before the season is over, but Coach Davis has to be happy with their level of play so far.

By the Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Villanova	17-4	5-3	9-7	12	24	73.9	61.3
Providence	14-7	6-3	7-8-1	63	42	79.7	74.4

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Villanova	45.3	38.5	35.6	31.3	74.5	40.5	7.7	14.6	12.8
Providence	45.6	44.7	32.3	33.1	66.5	42.1	7.8	15.8	14.0

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Prediction

Current Line: Villanova -2.0

Villanova ATS: 9-7, 7-5 when favored.
Providence ATS: 7-8-1, 2-3 when underdog.

Providence has been strong so far this season, but Villanova's been on a roll recently and I don't see the Friars being the bump in the road that derails them. So far, the Wildcats have lost by six to UConn, seven to Marquette, and one to Louisville.

Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds are going to be too much for the Friars to handle—not to mention any of the role players who have been stepping up on any given night.

Providence may have taken down Syracuse, but the UConn beatdown is going to weigh too heavy on their hearts.

Ryan's Pick: Villanova -2.0

*This article is also featured on CBBPlace.com*

*All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com*