Bettors will hope to hit paydirt on Wednesday when the Villanova Wildcats try to run the Pittsburgh Panthers off the court at Villanova Pavilion in college hoops action.

Villanova battles the Panthers, currently sitting with a 13-4 mark (5-6 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 5-7 for the Wildcats and 6-3 for the Panthers.



View Pittsburgh vs Villanova Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
College basketball odds makers at Sportsbook opened the Villanova Wildcats as 4.5-point underdogs in this matchup. Check for the latest spread and over-under at the sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 88-ranked Wildcats and the No. 52-rated Panthers in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 85-70 win for the Panthers on Wednesday.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Panthers is ranked No. 208 in NCAA hoops at 34.5 per game. Contrast that with Villanova’s No. 54 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Villanova is the No. 113-ranked team in the country at 6.8 per game, while Pittsburgh rates No. 277 at 5 per game.

Defensively, Pittsburgh features the nation's No. 22-rated defense on the road, allowing 59.7 points per game. Villanova, meanwhile, comes in at No. 143 nationally in scoring at home.

Pittsburgh was a 74-67 loser in their most recent outing at home against Marquette. They failed to cover the 10.5-point spread as favorites. Pittsburgh suffered a 74-67 loss against Marquette on Saturday, getting 22 points from Lamar Patterson in a losing effort at Petersen Events Center.

Villanova lost its last outing, a 72-61 result against Syracuse on January 12. They covered in that game as a 14-point underdog. JayVaughn Pinkston scored 12 points in a futile effort to lead the Wildcats to a win (they lost 72-61 to Syracuse at Carrier Dome on Saturday).


Pittsburgh Panthers Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Connecticut are 9-1
After playing Marquette are 8-2
After a loss are 6-4

Villanova Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing Providence are 7-3
After playing Syracuse are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

A few Panthers at Wildcats trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing on the road against Villanova
Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Villanova
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Villanova's last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Villanova is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Villanova's last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh
Villanova is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
Pittsburgh home to Connecticut, Saturday, January 19
Villanova at Providence, Saturday, January 19