Villanova Game Thread

[OKBluejay]

On paper, Nova looks like a good matchup for the Jays. Nova has not defended the 3 well at all, allowing lots of attempts at a high % (36.1 %, #307 in 3-pt % defense according to KenPom) by their opponents. Nova also takes a lot of threes (51% of their shots are 3s, which is #3 in Div 1), but doesn't shoot them particularly well (32.1%, #215 in Div 1). The best thing Nova does on offense is get to the FT line and convert (81.8 FT %, #3 in Div 1), but the Jays are very good at not fouling.

With lots of 3s likely being shot by both teams, there are many possible scenarios, depending on if either team is particularly hot or cold. It's not Nova's style to apply a lot of ball pressure, but that may be an adjustment they try to make, especially if the Jays come out hot early. Nova doesn't have much rim protection, so the Jays need to be aggressive and convert in the paint (like they did against Alabama) if Nova turns up the defensive pressure. Nova can really slow the game down and still do what they do, so the Jays need to avoid playing from behind as much as possible.

[RVB]

Jacob Padilla: Creighton to Host Villanova in Big East Opener

https://hurrdatsports.com/creighton-men ... st-opener/

[WBR Tom]

Here's the Primer for Villanova, a team that feels more like a collection of parts than a cohesive unit at this point:

https://whiteandbluereview.com/pregame- ... villanova/

[TrueBlueJay]

Line starts at 7.5 and quickly jumps to 9.5.

Too many points to give to Nova if you ask me.

[jaykorver]

[go_jays]

Line starts at 7.5 and quickly jumps to 9.5.

Too many points to give to Nova if you ask me.

That's a big move. Must have been a LOT of early money on the Jays.

According to Kenpom, we should be -7... -3.5 according to his Adjusted Efficiency and -3.5(?) for the home court.

Marquette drops to #15 in Kemnpom... ouch!

We moved up to #9. Nova at #30.

But as far as the spread goes... the winning or losing margin will depend on whether we are "on" or not. If we aren't "on", but we play good defense and limit turnovers, it will be dogfight. If we ARE on, we could end up beating them by 15-20. I just don't see us getting blown out by Nova in our house.

Bottom line is... I don't have a good feel for this game. Which team shows up tonight? I have to think we'll be ready for Nova... because even though they might be struggling some... they are still Nova... and the players know that. Plus they come off of a nice confidence building win over Bama... without Kalkbrenner for an entire half! I think that last one alone is worth a lot... knowing that they can play against a Top Ten team even without Kalk playing an entire game. And also knowing that they can find ways to win without having to be shooting at a crazy percentage of 3s.

[SeattleJay]

One of the tip sites reported this morning that Jutstin Moore did not practice yesterday and was unlikely to play today. Could this have moved the betting needle?

Missing a first team BE preseason player seems like a big deal to me, but I mostly don’t gamble. I worked too hard for my money.

[mannygakou]

One of the tip sites reported this morning that Jutstin Moore did not practice yesterday and was unlikely to play today. Could this have moved the betting needle?

Missing a first team BE preseason player seems like a big deal to me, but I mostly don’t gamble. I worked too hard for my money.

Work hard for your money, and make your money work hard for you by betting the Jays!

[go_jays]

One of the tip sites reported this morning that Jutstin Moore did not practice yesterday and was unlikely to play today. Could this have moved the betting needle?

Missing a first team BE preseason player seems like a big deal to me, but I mostly don’t gamble. I worked too hard for my money.

Most likely. Although I think it was widely anticipated that he wouldn't be available. The good deal was getting on the Jays early.

[Trifecta]

Let's take care of business tonight! Marquette and UConn have already gone down - a good opportunity to get a leg up in the league race.