Preview: Villanova vs Canisius

How to Watch and Stream

TV: ESPN 2

Stream: WatchESPN

Odds:

Villanova is favored by 13.5 points and the O/U is 148.

Preview

Good grief, this is important. The Villanova Wildcats have stumbled out of the rankings for the first time in close to 4 years. In fact, their struggles at home are recent too. After the soul-crushing losses to the Furman Paladins and Michigan Wolverines, they are in need of a fresh start.

The Canisius Golden Griffins will look to make a statement. They have 3 double digit scorers in Takal Molson, Isaiah Reese and Malik Johnson. Molson is the focal point, averaging close to 22 points per game. While this may sound daunting, the team has only shot 32.9 percent from behind the arc and give up a percentage of 43.1 percent from behind the arc.

On top of that, while making a strong statement against the Florida State Seminoles, they were beaten on the glass 40-25 and lost the turnover battle as well. They struggled at the line too, only shooting 66% as a team.

Villanova has to turn their woes around. Eric Paschall and Phil Booth need to not be the shot-callers on offense. I understand that they are the seniors and the leaders, but they were never the focal points of the offense the way Jalen Brunson or Mikal Bridges were. The ball needs to be moved better so multiple guys can hit double figures. Free Jahvon Quinerly too, the freshman needs time on the floor to develop. Saddiq Bey in limited minutes needs touches, as well.

As a team, Villanova has to take advantage of Canisius’ poor shooting ability. If they generate a huge lead, they should let the young guys play.