Nova Report
The 3-1 Villanova Wildcats drive 9.6 miles to the campus of the La Salle Explorers (2-2) to play a ‘Big 5’ game (Philadelphia City Series). Tip is 7:00 pm on CBSSN. Nova is -12.5/143.5. The game will be played at the 3000 seat John E. Glaser Arena. If Villanova is allocated 25 seats, it would be a lot. So yes, it will be a hostile environment.
Normally, these games are easy to cap. If you’re getting double digits, you just grab it. However, only one player on each team has played in a Big 5 game before. Neither coach, as both are new, hasn’t either. Thus, only the fans understand the ‘hate’ between the two schools. Quick story. Chris Ford of Villanova used to be called a ‘hot dog’ for diving all over the court. Right before tip, La Salle students would barrage the court with hot dogs,
To date, LaSalle has beaten two cream puffs, got obliterated by Temple who exploded in the second half to go up by 35 and lost to Penn State by 13 who had a 23-2 run in the second half. The Explorers, due to injuries, play a freshman point guard, Ashton Walker, who is turnover prone. Look for Nova to pressure him. Their center, Ed Daniel, is foul prone. However, Jaeden Marshall is a player at 15.3 ppg. He draws a lot of fouls and shoots over 94% at the free throw line. 6’9” Jerome Brewers shoots over 54% from the field and averages 11.5 ppg. As a team, they shoot just under 40% from 3. Nova allows teams to make 42.5% from 3. For La Salle to stay in this, they need to hit 3’s and also draw fouls and limit turnovers.
For Villanova, they’ve beaten 3 cream puffs though Coach Willard probably wasn’t pleased with his teams performance over Duquesne as they couldn’t hold a 21 point lead. They won by 10. Plus, defensively, they really were terrible. Old Man River could have made 50% of the wide open 3’s they gave. On the bright side, Duke Brennan leads the country at 14.5 boards per game. Bryce Lindsay can score from anywhere at 23 ppg. Acaden Lewis has shown glimpses of greatness driving to the hoop but still has work to do as a point guard. Matt Hodge (11.5 ppg) can shoot from deep but is a defensive liability. Devin Askew (10 ppg) is improving and will become a better scorer.
Tonight being Nova’s first true road game, they may get off to a slow start. But if form holds true, LaSalle will fade in the second half. Giving 12.5 on the road is a ton but I think it’s warranted. So, I’ll buy the hook and back the Cats.
Nova Pick: Villanova-12 (bought hook)
Nova Pick Record:2-1-1