>The Villanova Wildcats have a forecast 51% chance to win against The Syracuse Orange with a spread of 3.0/-3.0 and an over/under of 136.5. The Villanova Wildcats are 0 – 0 against The Syracuse Orange in the 2021-22 Season.
— Tuesday, December 07th Villanova Wildcats @ Syracuse Orange
Two old rivals get together Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic as No. 6 Villanova (6-2) faces Syracuse (5-3). This is a big week for both teams as Villanova will head to Baylor on Sunday while Syracuse faces another former Big East rival in Georgetown.
The game will air on ESPN and tip-off at 9:00 p.m. ET Tuesday from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The teams used to go head-to-head at least twice a year when both were in the Big East before Syracuse left for the ACC. All-time, they have met 72 times with the Orange holding a 39-33 lead, and they last played in 2014, a Villanova home win in overtime.
They have met twice on neutral floors with Jay Wright and Jim Boeheim on the sidelines, and the Wildcats won both of those Big East Tournament games at MSG.
Wildcats Offense is Balanced
Villanova’s only two losses this season were to top-five teams Purdue, by six, and UCLA in overtime. Overall the Wildcats have won their six games by an average of 24.5 points. They knocked off both Penn and St. Joseph’s last week in their Big Five games.
Villanova averages 80 points per game, and they are shooting 47 percent from the field. They are sixth in the nation with 11.8 made 3-pointers per game and shot 42.2 percent from distance.
The Wildcats are led in scoring by Collin Gillespie at 17.8 points per game, and he’s shooting 46 percent from the field. On the season, he has 64 made 3-pointers, including 12-of-23 over the last three games.
Justin Moore is averaging 15.4 ppg while Brandon Slater scores 14 ppg. Jermaine Samuels leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game and also contributes 12.0 ppg.
Caleb Daniels, who averages 9.4 points per game off the bench, missed the St. Joe’s game while quarantining and his status for Tuesday is unknown.
Syracuse Improving
Last week Syracuse showed it could win with different styles as they outlasted Indiana 112-110 in double overtime before winning at Florida State 63-60. They have been inconsistent all season, losing against VCU with just 55 points but beating Arizona State 24 hours later with a 92-point effort.
Seniors Buddy Boeheim and Cole Swider lead the Orange this season, and they have combined to score 57 percent of the team’s points. Boeheim is scoring 19.1 ppg but shooting just 40 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from deep. Last season he shot 43.5 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
Swider is averaging 13.1 ppg and leads the team at 7.0 rebounds per game. Joseph Girard III is the second leading scorer at 15.1 ppg, while Jimmy Boeheim is at 14.1 ppg. Center Jesse Edwards is among the nation’s leaders in shooting at 76.9 percent, and he’s grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game.
The starting five for Syracuse all averages at least 12.4 ppg while no one off the bench scores more than 3.0 ppg. In the Indiana win, they got 106 of 112 points from starters, and against Florida State, the starters scored all but one of the 63 points.
Betting Analysis
- Villanova Wildcats -8.5 (-105). Money Line -380
- Syracuse Orange +8.5 (-115). Money Line +290
- Total Points: 143.5 Over -110. Under -110
Syracuse can play different offensive styles, and multiple guys can lead the way, but eventually, their lack of depth is going to catch up to them.
Villanova is familiar with the zone defense, has more depth and better talent. If the 3-pointer isn’t falling for the Orange, or they get in foul trouble, this could get out of hand early.
Betting Pick: Villanova -8.5 (-105)
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