NCAAB Saint Josephs @ Villanova

The Saint Joe’s Hawks (4-4 SU, 3-3 ATS, 2-4 O/U) have alternated wins and losses in each of their last six games.

The Villanova Wildcats (8-1 SU, 3-3 ATS, 1-5 O/U) had their eight-game winning streak snapped the last time out.

Tonight, both teams will be trying to pick up a victory when they battle at Villanova Pavilion.

The Hawks are coming off an 85-64 win over Towson, covering the 4-point spread on the road with room to spare. St. Joe’s got 25 points from senior center Ahmad Nivins and 22 points from junior guard Darrin Govens while draining 51 percent of their field goal attempts.

"We have a lot of work to do. We need to play in these games and we will now against this type of physical defense," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "And we learned we have to rebound better as a team but we can be a good team."

The Wildcats are coming off a 67-58 loss to Texas in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night, failing to cover the spread as a 2-point underdog. Senior forward Dante Cunningham led Villanova with 23 points and 12 boards in the loss.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and NCAAB Free Pick:

The Hawks are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games.

The Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS win.

The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.

The Wildcats are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 vs. Atlantic 10.

The Under is 5-0 in Hawks last 5 games following a S.U. win.

The Under is 5-0 in Wildcats last 5 non-conference games.

The Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

The Favorite is 5-0-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

The Hawks are 2-6-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

NCAAB Odds

Saint Joseph’s +10 -110

Villanova -10 -110

Analysis: While this Philadelphia ‘Big Five’ matchup is usually a thriller as are all the huge city basketball wars in the City of Brotherly Love, I like the Villanova Wildcats to win this game handily as they look to rebound from their loss to Texas.

The Hawks don’t have the size or athleticism to deal with the talented Wildcats. Take Villanova to cover what may look like a high spread but really is not.

NCAAB Free Picks: Villanova -10 Points