— Friday, March 11th Connecticut Huskies @ Villanova Wildcats
For the third time this season, old rivals the Villanova Wildcats and UConn Huskies will meet, this time in the Big East Semifinals. They have had plenty of Big East Tournament classics over the years, including the 1995 final won by Villanova and the 2002 quarterfinal won by UConn.
The tipoff of the second semifinal on Friday is scheduled for 9:00 pm. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will air on FS1.
When these teams first met this season, Villanova won at home 85-74. UConn returned the favor in February with a 72-70 home win to end a five-game slide to the Wildcats. All-time Vilanova leads 37-32 with the teams 1-1 in the BET, but Nova leads all-time 2-1 at MSG.
Gillespie Leads Nova
Villanova is 15-15-1 ATS this season, and the over is 16-15 in their 31 games. They are 12-6 away from home and 4-1 in neutral site games. Villanova has won four of the last six Big East Championships, and they have won their last five semifinal games at MSG.
The Wildcats were slow out of the gate on Thursday, trailing St. John’s for most of the game before pulling out a 66-65 win in the quarterfinals. They took the lead with just 2.8 seconds left as Brandon Slater made a pair of free throws. Caleb Daniels, who replaced injured Julian Samuels in the starting lineup, led the way with 19 points as Nova erased a 17-point deficit.
In the win over UConn, Eric Dixon led the way with 24 points, but he had just four in the loss. Collin Gillespie scored 19 in the first game, 17 in the second, while Caleb Daniels had 16 in the first and eight in the second. Villanova owned the glass in the win at +8, but they were just +1 in the loss.
Gillespie leads the way at 16.2 ppg on the season while guard Justin Moore averages 15.3. Daniels averages 10.4 ppg, and Jermaine Samuels is also in double figures at 10.2 ppg, but he is questionable for Friday night with back spasms. Dixon scores 9.4 ppg and leads Villanova with 6.6 rpg.
Huskies Looking for First Big East Title in 11 Years
UConn is 13-17-1 ATS, and the over is 18-13 in their 31 games. They are just 1-3 against the spread in their last four games, with a cover against Seton Hall on Thursday night. UConn is 4-1 in neutral site games this season and 9-6 overall outside of Connecticut.
The Huskies have had some great moments in the Big East Tournament through the years, from Ray Allen to Richard Hamilton to Kemba Walker. Gone to the ACC for six seasons, they returned in 2020 with a canceled tournament and lost to Creighton in the semifinals last year. They last played for a Big East title in 2011 when Walker began the run that led UConn to the NCAA Championships as well.
The Huskies shot just 36% from the field on Thursday in a 62-52 win over Seton Hall. However, they limited the Pirates to 35% and were +13 on the glass. Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole had 17 points each, while Isaiah Whaley had ten, and Adama Sanogo grabbed 11 rebounds.
In the first game against Nova, Cole had 25 points while Sanogo and Martin both had 14. Sanogo had 20 in UConn’s win the second time around, while Cole had 12 and Whaley had 13. UConn hit 18-of-44 from 3-point range in the two games against the Wildcats
Cole leads the Huskies at 15.8 ppg, with Sanogo at 14.9 ppg and a team-leading 8.7 rpg. Martin averages 13.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg while shooting 42% from the 3-point range.
Betting Analysis
- Villanova Wildcats -3.5 (-110) Money Line -160
- Connecticut Huskies +3.5 (-110) Money Line +130
- Total Points: 131.5 Over -110 Under -110
These teams know each other well and have played two close games this season. The crowd will be amped for the late-night semifinal at MSG, and hopefully, that will help both teams avoid the slow starts that plagued Thursday’s games. If Villanova can control the pace, this game will go over the number, and the Wildcats likely win, but UConn has kept three straight games under and will do it again.
Betting Pick: Under 131.5 (-110)
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