Jan 25th NCAA Picks: Villanova Wildcats at Louisville Cardinals
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
Maalik Wayns' hot streak translated into Villanova Wildcats' first road win of the season the last time out. Making it two straight away from home will be the hard part. Wayns hopes to shoot the young Wildcats to their first three-game winning streak since early November on Wednesday against a rejuvenated Louisville Cardinals team.
Despite Wayns' best efforts, Villanova is last in the Big East in field goal percentage (42.2). Meanwhile, 25th-ranked Louisville, also one of the worst shooting teams in the conference, has been reenergized by the return of leading scorer Kyle Kuric.
Kuric's return has the Cardinals back to their pressing style of defense, which may pose problems for a Villanova team struggling with turnovers.
The Wildcats have won two straight in the series since a three-game losing streak. Wayns scored 15 points and Mouphtaou Yarou had 18 points and 11 rebounds in an 88-74 victory last season in Philadelphia.
- Villanova Wildcats @ Louisville Cardinals
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Cardinals listed as 8-point favorites versus the Wildcats.
Villanova Wildcats (10-10): Villanova, which is devoid of seniors, has won two straight for the first time since starting 4-0. The Wildcats have done it while riding the coattails of Wayns. Wayns, the Big East's second-leading scorer, is averaging 30.7 points over the last three contests. The junior from Philadelphia scored 28 points in a 79-76 overtime victory against St. John's Saturday. Redshirt freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston has also stepped up over the last two games, averaging 18.0 points and 11.5 rebounds. Villanova is second in the Big East in rebounding margin (6.3), but ball handling and perimeter shooting are weaknesses. The Wildcats are last in the conference in turnover margin (-2.7) and 3-point percentage (30.6).
Louisville Cardinals (15-5): Injuries have been a major theme for Louisville, so coach Rick Pitino must have been elated when Kuric (ankle) returned from a two-game absence and scored a season-high 21 points in a win over Pittsburgh Saturday. The Cardinals desperately needed the win, having lost five of their previous seven games. Kuric played with a protective boot on his sprained left ankle and helped the Louisville shoot 55 percent – 12 percentage points above its season average coming into the game. Freshman forward Chane Behanan scored a season-high 19 points and is shooting 55 percent over the last two contests (11 of 20). Behanan is providing help inside for Gorgui Dieng, who is third in the league with eight double doubles and first in the Big East in blocks (3.4).
1. Villanova is the best free-throw shooting team in the Big East (75.4), but the Wildcats were just 15 of 26 at the line against St. John’s.
2. Pinkston, a former McDonald's All-American, was forced to sit out last season after being charged with assault stemming from a fight at an off-campus apartment.
3. The Cardinals are fourth in the nation in steals (9.9) and sixth in field goal defense (37.2).
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Cardinals 72, Wildcats 66.
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chane behanan - gorgui dieng - jayvaughn pinkston - kfc yum! center - kyle kuric - louisville cardinals - maalik wayns - mouphtaou yarou - rick pitino - villanova wildcats
