Oklahoma vs Villanova Odds, Picks and Predictions: Victory Comes Sooner for OU

The Oklahoma Sooners and Villanova Wildcats square off at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia in a battle of big-name teams, although only one is performing like a winner.

The Sooners head in on a six-game win streak, while the Wildcats have been struggling in their first season under the leadership of head coach Kyle Neptune.

Villanova continues to play hard for its new coach, but for whatever reason, it cannot finish it off for victories.

We’ll discuss who will come out on top in our college basketball picks and predictions for Oklahoma vs. Villanova on Saturday, December 3.

Oklahoma vs Villanova best odds

Oklahoma vs Villanova picks and predictions

When this game was scheduled, this likely was going to be a marquee matchup. However, Villanova’s legendary head coach, Jay Wright, announced his retirement, and the Wildcats are in a little bit of a transition season under the new coach Neptune.

Villanova did lose Bryan Antoine to the transfer portal, as he headed to the Radford Highlanders of the Big South Conference. But more importantly, the Wildcats lost all-everything Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels — the team’s top three leading scorers.

Caleb Daniels (17.4 PPG) and Eric Dixon (17.6 PPG) are the two best returnees and have transitioned into leadership roles. Daniels and Dixon have provided nearly half of the team’s scoring production. After that, there’s a big drop-off in production, and if those two get into foul trouble, or are having an off shooting night, heaven help the ‘Cats.

The Sooners lost their opener against Sam Houston State in Norman, and OU fans were ringing the collective hands about the kind of season Villanova is experiencing. Instead, Oklahoma has rattled off six consecutive wins.

Oklahoma posted three wins and covers in Orlando last weekend, and it has now had a full week to rest before this neutral-floor battle in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. If this were on Villanova’s campus, perhaps they keep it a little closer, but Oklahoma should win this one going away. The fact the Sooners are catching points here is a gift to all bettors.

My best bet: Oklahoma +2.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

Oklahoma vs Villanova spread analysis

Oklahoma picked up wins over Nebraska, Seton Hall, and Mississippi at the ESPN Events Invitational last weekend. The Sooners put that upset loss to the Bearkats in the opener in the rear-view mirror, and the Sooners are on the way to a ranking with a win against the Wildcats.

After going 0-2 ATS in the first two games, Oklahoma has covered three in a row, and four of the past five games overall. The Sooners are also 5-0 ATS in the past five games on the road dating back to last season, and with this game being played in Villanova’s backyard, that trend applies here.

OU has also been stacking covers lately, going 6-2 ATS in the past eight games following an ATS win, so that’s a great sign for another Sooners victory.

Villanova has failed to cover the past four home games, and is 1-6 ATS in seven games overall. The only cover was a near-miss at Michigan State on Nov. 18, falling 73-71 as a 6.5-point underdog.

‘Nova also played a tournament last weekend, but it fell against Iowa State, Portland, and Oregon in the Phil Knight Invitational. No one can accuse the Wildcats of not working hard, as they took Iowa State to overtime in its opening game. Iowa State ended up beating No. 1 North Carolina in the same tourney.

Villanova did lose by 12 points against Portland in what might be considered a bad loss, but it bounced back and played a good Oregon team tough in a 74-67 loss. There’s just no reason to believe the Wildcats are going to bounce back and knock off a good Sooners team, but Oklahoma should have to work hard to get the win.

Oklahoma vs Villanova Over/Under analysis

The Sooners have cashed the Under in six of their seven games so far, including last time out in a 59-55 win over Ole Miss in the finale in Orlando.

Oklahoma is very deliberate, going for 65.7 ppg. It is a very good shooting team, hitting 48.4% from the field, and a respectable 36.7% from behind the 3-point line. If the Sooners have an Achilles heel, it’s at the free-throw line, connecting on just 70.3%.

Defensively, OU is outstanding, limiting the opposition to 56.9 ppg, and 25.6% 3-point shooting.

Villanova is not very good offensively, posting just 70.4 ppg, and it has hit at just a 42.4% field-goal percentage and 31.4% 3-point clip. That isn’t likely to improve against a very good OU team. Oklahoma could exceed its offensive numbers against a bad Villanova D, but this one will still be rather low-scoring.

Oklahoma vs Villanova betting trend to know

The Sooners have cashed the Under in six of the past seven games overall, and Oklahoma is 4-1 in the past five following a straight-up win. Find more college basketball betting trends for Oklahoma vs. Villanova.

Oklahoma vs Villanova game info

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