Points could really be at a premium on Saturday in what might be the best college basketball game of the week when the Villanova Wildcats pay a visit to the Virginia Cavaliers in a Top 10 battle.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
Rust is about the only concern when it comes to the scheduling of this game. Live bettors should be prepared for the possibility that Virginia is a little flat, knowing that this game will be played after an 11-day layoff. On one hand, it'll certainly help London Perrantes to have the time off as he continues to recover from his appendectomy, but for a team which often finds itself needing to get into a rhythm offensively, all that time away might end up being a little much.
Villanova responded to its loss to Oklahoma in big time fashion by blowing out La Salle on Sunday in a Big Five game. However, it will have the entire week to get ready for the maelstrom in Charlottesville without another notable game coming until the start of the Big East season kicks off on New Year's Eve.
KEY MATCHUP
The Wildcats do have the best player on the court for our money in Ryan Arcidiacono, but he isn't really going to be the key in this game. Sure, Arcidiacono is the man who is going to need to make sure the ball ends up in the right shooters' hands time and time again, but the key even before that is going to be getting the ball in his hands in the first place.
Virginia has a fantastic rebounding team. You don't see it in the raw stats, but there aren't many rebounds quite like Anthony Gill, even at just 6-foot-8. If the Cavaliers ran up and down the floor for 40 minutes, he'd average 15 boards a game for our money. As it is, on a team which only sees a total of around 60 rebounds per game in totality, Gill is averaging 6.4 of them, and he could be in for a great game in this one.
Villanova does tend to have some problems rebounding the basketball as a team. Josh Hart and Daniel Ochefu are both strong rebounders, but the rest of this team is nothing special when it comes to hitting the glass. One-and-done possessions are what the Cavaliers thrive off of, and live bettors should be aware of that as well. If Villanova is doing a respectable job on the glass, this is a winnable game. Live bettors should see the key, though. If UVA is winning many of the 50/50 balls, there just won't be enough possessions to give Villanova a shot to succeed.
KEY STAT
The Cavaliers have allowed an average of just 46 shots per basketball game in their last three games overall. That's not 46 made baskets. That's 46 attempted shots. On top of that, UVA has forced 16.3 turnovers per game in that stretch. William & Mary and Ohio State combined for just seven offensive rebounds as well. West Virginia had some good stretches on the offensive glass and managed 13.
But think about that. 46 shots. 16 turnovers.
If that's the ratio this game is going to have, not only is it clear that scoring is going to be at a premium, but Villanova is going to be in a lot of trouble. Live bettors have to be ready for long stretches of games where there just isn't all that much in the way of scoring on either side, especially from the visitors, who are going to have to really earn every single point they're going to amass in this one.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and Virginia Cavaliers will go down Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. ET at John Paul Jones Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
