Nova Report
VILLANOVA basketball is back! The Cats tip off at 4:30 pm eastern on campus vs. Mount St. Mary?s. Current line is Nova-24.5/132.5.
The Mount made it to the Big Dance in March and are picked third in the NEC this year. They return most of their team, three 6?8? plus forwards (Opoku, Jefferson, Offurum) but will rely on a UAB transfer (Jalen Benjamin at 5?10?) to handle the point guard role. They are a methodical, defensive minded club who can rebound. However, they DID lose their leading scorer and we?ll have to see who steps up to score points for them.
The Cats are ranked #4 preseason and are thrilled to be finally playing in front of the Wildcat faithful today. However, every player, Coach and fan knows #2 UCLA awaits out in LA on Friday. Nova returns Gillespie (preseason All American), Samuels, Moore, Dixon, Slater, Antoine and Daniels. Antoine as well as a 6?10? freshman stud are injured and cannot play. Yes, they lost Robinson-Earl to the NBA, but no one is shedding any tears for them
In addition to UCLA, Nova takes on ranked Purdue, Tennessee, North Carolina, Baylor and Syracuse in non-conference games over the next few weeks. So, the Cats need to get in gear quickly.
Knowing this, will Coach Wright have his boys rain down 3?s hoping to get the crowd energized and put away the Mount early or will he slow down the pace to possibly replicate what lies ahead? For sure, the MOUNT has to slow things down and minimize Nova possessions. The Mount also has to desperately keep out of foul trouble given their lack of depth.
My call: I think the Cats will be putting up 3?s from the start. The Mount will work the ball inside and take their time. This is a game where it?s more important to keep Nova healthy for UCLA then pour it on a club that doesn?t match their talent level. Nonetheless, his starters require playing time together. My take is the game goes Under. Under 132.5 is my selection.