A Top 10 college basketball betting matchup in the Big East gets the ESPN spotlight on Saturday night as #9 Villanova hosts #4 Pittsburgh. The Panthers are in first place in the Big East while the Wildcats are three games back.  Villanova head coach Jay Wright believes his team can still catch Pittsburgh for first place but that may be unrealistic.  If Villanova is to have any chance they have to win this game on Saturday night.

Check out the current line for this game at SBG Global.

In this series the past few games between Pittsburgh and Villanova have been excellent.  Last year the Panthers won 70-65 while Villanova won the two games the previous season including the big one that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four. This NCAA basketball betting season it is Pittsburgh who looks like a Final Four team and Villanova head coach Jay Wright agrees.  He thinks the Panthers have excellent depth and skill.  Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said this Pittsburgh team might be the best one he has ever faced. Pittsburgh guard Brad Wanamaker said that this year’s team is the best because of their depth. The Panthers have as many as nine players who can score.

Pittsburgh will be shorthanded on Saturday as leading scorer Ashton Gibbs probably won’t play.  He has a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is listed as doubtful. Villanova has an injury concern of their own as Corey Stokes, the team’s second leading scorer, has a turf toe injury. He has been playing through it but that might change if the trainers decide he needs to rest it.

Here are the basketball betting stats for Saturday’s game. The Panthers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games. The Wildcats are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games. The Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.  In this series, the Panthers are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings but the home team is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings.

The Under is 4-0 in the Wildcats last 4 home games. The Under is 4-1 in the Wildcats last 5 overall. In this series, the Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings at Villanova.