A key college battle sees the visiting Syracuse Orange travelling to Villanova Saturday to take on the Wildcats.

The Wildcats currently sports a 12-7 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 11-5 ATS. The Orange are 18-1 and 9-5-1 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Wildcats produce a 6-9 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Orange have gone 6-8 against the number.



View Syracuse vs Villanova Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Orange were listed as 5.5-point favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 71-ranked Wildcats and the No. 4-rated Orange in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 87-71 win for the Orange on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Villanova's No. 132 nationally ranked offense (69.4 points per game) against a Orange defense that sits as the No. 25 at 58.2 PPG. The Wildcats have been averaging 40.8% from the field, less than the Orange have managed so far this season (45.7% on average).

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Syracuse owns the country's No. 36-rated mark, allowing 61.8 points per game on the highway. Villanova, on the other hand, rates No. 207 in scoring at home.

Syracuse won its last outing, a 57-55 result against Cincinnati on January 21. They failed to cover in that game as an 8-point favorite. Syracuse got 16 points from Michael Carter-Williams en route to a 57-55 victory over Cincinnati on Monday at Carrier Dome.

Villanova won its last outing, a 73-64 result against Louisville on January 22. They covered in that game as a 11.5-point underdog. Ryan Arcidiacono scored 15 points leading the Wildcats to a 73-64 victory over Louisville at Villanova Pavilion on Tuesday.


Syracuse Orange Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Pittsburgh are 8-2
After playing Cincinnati are 6-4
After a win are 9-1

Villanova Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Notre Dame are 5-5
After playing Louisville are 7-2
After a win are 7-3

A few Orange at Wildcats trends to consider:
Syracuse is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Syracuse's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Syracuse's last 6 games when playing on the road against Villanova
Villanova is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Villanova's last 5 games
Villanova is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Villanova's last 7 games when playing Syracuse


Next up:
Syracuse at Pittsburgh, Saturday, February 2
Villanova at Notre Dame, Wednesday, January 30