The Villanova Wildcats were 24-7 SU and 14-15-2 ATS last season when the coronavirus outbreak brought the 2019-20 season to a premature end. Villanova will kick off its 2020-21 campaign in the 2K Empire Classic where it will take on the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday night.
- Date/Time: November 25, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Mohegan Sun Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Villanova -13.5 | O/U 141.5 (Line HIstory)
- Villanova vs Boston College Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Early betting action on the Wildcats as 13.5-point Sportsbook favorites has moved the line slightly to Villanova -14. The total has also moved half a point from 141.5 points up to its game-day total of 142 points. Boston College is 0-5 ATS in its last five games played in the month of November.
Villanova News & Notes
Head coach Jay Wright has used outstanding guard play and three-point shooting to build one of the most dangerous and consistent programs in the country in Villanova. The Wildcats won the NCAA championship in 2016 and 2018 and are going off as the betting favorite at +750 to win it again in 2021.
Villanova lost leading scorer Saddiq Bey and his 16.1 points per game to the NBA draft this offseason. But the team’s next four top scorers all return, including senior guard Collin Gillespie, who averaged 15.1 points and 4.5 assists per game in 2019-20.
With so much returning talent and the influx of some new freshman guards in Zion Bethea and Tymu Chenery, there is plenty of reason to believe that the Wildcats can carry the momentum of last season’s 7-1 SU and 4-4 ATS finish into a strong start to the 2020-21 season.
Boston College News & Notes
Boston College had the worst overall record in the ACC last season, going 13-19 SU and 14-18 ATS, fizzling out down the stretch with a 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS run to bring the season to a close.
But it wasn’t all bad. The Eagles did pick up some impressive upset wins, including a season sweep of the Virginia Tech Hokies, a win as 10-point home underdogs against the defending champion Virginia Cavaliers, and a road upset over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as 12.5-point underdogs.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds transfer Andre Adams was expected to provide some much-needed front-court depth for the Eagles this season, but he has been lost for the year due to injury. Still, the return of leading scorer Jay Heath and junior Wynston Tabbs (who missed all of last season with an injury) could keep the Eagles out of the ACC cellar this season.
Betting Pick: Villanova -14
Villanova returns so much talent from last year that getting back up to game speed shouldn’t be any trouble. Look for the Wildcats to do just that with a comfortable win in this one.
- Villanova is 6-0 SU in its last 6 games vs ACC teams.
- Boston College is 0-6 SU in its last 6 games as an underdog.
- The UNDER is 9-1 in Villanova’s last 10 games as a favorite.
