Army at Villanova 11/5/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Army Black Knights visit Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania on Tuesday to play the Villanova Wildcats in the opening game of the college basketball regular season for both. The Black Knights are coming off three straight losing seasons. The Black Knights were 13-19 last season and are picked to finish in sixth place in the Patriot League this season.

Two 1,000-point scorers return for Army. Tommy Funk, who last season averaged 12.5 points per game, is the all-time leader in assists for the school and Matt Wilson, who averaged 13.7 points per game led the team in rebounding with an average of 8.6 per game. Another starter returning from last season is Alex King, who scored 7.2 points per game and sixth man Lonnie Grayson also returns.

Villanova was knocked out of NCAA Tournament in the second round last season but the No. 10 ranked Wildcats hope to make a deeper run in this season’s tournament. Top players have moved on but others remain including Collin Gilespie who averaged 10.9 points per game, as well as Saddiq Bey, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels.

Nevertheless, the Wildcats will not be the favorites to win the Big East when the opening tipoff takes place Tuesday. Villanova’s top player Gilespie will wear a mask to start the season after suffering a broken nose during the preseason. Freshman Bryan Antoine who underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason is expected to redshirt. Last season, Gilespie led the Wildcats in steals with 39.