Notre Dame vs Villanova Carolina College Basketball Picks, Odds & Predictions: Looking to post the best start in school history, the third ranked (18-1, 7-0) Villanova Wildcats [-10½] host the sports betting odds underdog (15-5, 4-3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish [+10½] tonight. This Big East matchup will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA, beginning at 7:05 PM ET (6:05 PM CT). College Basketball Picks, Odds & Predictions experts at SPORTSBOOK.com have projected the OVER/UNDER between Notre Dame and Villanova at a total of 167 points scored.
For the Fighting Irish this season, this team is 1-2 against teams ranked in the top 10. The last time they faced one of these teams, Notre Dame was defeated by then-No.5 Syracuse. “We played Syracuse when they were the hottest team in the league, and now we play Villanova and they’re the hottest team in the league,” head coach Mike Brey said. “That’s a great opportunity for us as a team.”
For Villanova, this team is looking to make it 10 consecutive wins this season. The Wildcats’ 18-1 start ties with the 1950-51 team as the school’s best start. Those guys went on to lose their next three games. Villanova is coming off a 81-71 victory over the Red Storm on Saturday, led by Scottie Reynolds’ 19 points.
“He just sets the tone for the whole team on how we want to play,” Wildcats head coach Jay Wright said. “We want to play for each other and he does it every night. It is hard to do when you are the best player, and he is maybe one of the best we have ever had at that.”
