Online Sportsbook Picks – Take Villanova Saturday

The College Basketball Online Sportsbook is now open and ready for your business this college basketball weekend. Included in Saturday’s slate of games is an interesting one from the Big East, where the DePaul Blue Demons are coming off the rarest of feats for them… A conference win.

No. 15 Villanova Wildcats (20-6 SU, 11-11-1 ATS) at DePaul Blue Demons (7-18 SU, 13-11 ATS)

Saturday, February 19: 12:00 p.m. ESPN3.com

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That’s right, for the first time during the 2011 season, and for just the second time in the last two years, DePaul got a conference win Thursday night. The victory came against the Providence College Friars, in Providence, by a final score of 79-76. Cleveland Melvin and Jeremiah Kelly combined for 43 points. On the season, Melvin is averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game.

Still, it’ll be a totally different scenario on Saturday, as the Blue Demons return to Illinois, but face one of the toughest foes in the Big East, the Villanova Wildcats. Villanova enters this one off a win Wednesday against Seton Hall, but is struggling overall. They’re just 1-6 against the spread in their last seven, and 3-4 overall in the College Basketball Online Sportsbook wagers.

The one thing the Wildcats can do however, is score, as they’re averaging 74 points per game, which ranks them 58th in the nation. The offense comes from everywhere, but especially the backcourt, where Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns lead this club. The two combine to average just under 30 points a game, with each diligently sharing the ball, combining for over 10 assists per game.

In the paint, forward Antonio Pena has remained productive into his senior year, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game. However, it should be noted that this team’s best long-range shooter and free throw shooter Corey Stokes will miss his third straight game with injury.

Stokes is averaging 14 points per game, and is the nation’s No. 2 free throw shooter, making over 93 percent of his attempts.

Still, go ahead and look at that again. The Wildcats get over 40 points a game from Fisher, Wayns and Pena. Even without Stokes, that should be more than enough to get the Wildcats an Online Sportsbook betting victory this weekend.

The proof is in the pudding, and as good as Villanova is at putting the ball in the basket, DePaul is equally inept at stopping it, as the Blue Demons are one of the worst defensive teams nationally.

They allow opponents to shoot 49 percent from the field and score 71 points per game, both numbers that rank them 300th or worse nationally. Going up against this Villanova club, it could make for a long day.

As great of a story as DePaul’s win on Thursday was, their win streak will end at one. As you get set to make your Online Sportsbook wager here, go ahead and bet on Villanova. They’re the smart pick to make.

College Basketball Online Sportsbook Bet: Villanova