UConn at Villanova 3/4/23 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Kyle Neptune era at Villanova started rocky after the Wildcats experienced so much success under iconic coach Jay Wright. Nova (16-14, 10-9) got off to a 4-8 record in Big East action and had college basketball fans wondering what on earth had gone wrong so fast. However, the Wildcats have won six of their last seven games, including a pair of wins over ranked teams in Xavier and Creighton. Villanova knows its momentum must translate into a Big East Conference Tournament title, or the Wildcats will be missing out on March Madness. Beating No. 14 UConn would be another boost to the squad and a sign that, despite being late to the party, the Wildcats are still a force to be reckoned with. They are led by junior forward Eric Dixon, who averages 16.0 points and 6.5 points per game.

An interesting thing about UConn (23-7, 12-7) is that despite a No. 14 ranking and projected No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies have taken all seven of their losses in conference play. That said, they seem to be playing at their top level once again with seven wins in the last eight games. It will be interesting to see what they do against an improving Nova and in the league tournament. With their spot in the NCAA Tournament a virtual lock, UConn could clinch an even higher seed by winning out. Junior forward Adama Sanogo averages 17.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He had 26 points on Wednesday against DePaul.