The Providence Friars look to knock off the top-seeded Villanova Wildcats tonight in the Big East Tournament Semifinals. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1. Currently the College Basketball Betting Odds for the game have the Wildcats favored by a couple of possessions in this one.
Villanova, still searching for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, has looked like one of the best teams in the country all season. The Wildcats destroyed Marquette in the quarterfinal round last night, beating the Golden Eagles up and down the floor consistently for an 84-49 victory.
Providence looked good in their opening game of the tournament as well. The Friars posted 40 first-half points and ran away with a 74-57 win over St. John’s, holding the Red Storm’s starting five to just 34 points.
LaDontae Henton poured in 20, Kris Dunn added 17 and Tyler Harris gave Providence 15 points off the bench and the Friars cruised to the win.
These two teams met up twice during the regular season, the Wildcats winning both games. The Feb. 11 matchup at Providence was much closer as Villanova won by only six points — the Wildcats blew out Providence by 28 in the other.
Darrun Hilliard II scored 13 points in the team’s win over Marquette, Josh Hart poured in 20 off the bench. Villanova has so many options offensively it’s tough to shut down the offense and even though they average 77 points per game on the year, the Wildcats have posted 105 and 84 points in each of their last two games. They are clearly looking to earn a No. 1 seed in the tournament and they’ll beat up on Providence tonight.
Free Pick: Villanova 78, Providence 65
NCAA Basketball: Who Can Win it All?
Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com discuss who they feel will win it all in the NCAA Tournament, while throwing in some teams that have a chance to make a deep run in the tournament.
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