The Villanova Wildcats take on the La Salle Explorers in Philadelphia, PA. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Villanova is favored by -11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -800. The total is set at 143 points.
Here’s my Villanova vs. La Salle predictions and college basketball picks for November 19, 2025.
Villanova vs La Salle Prediction
My Pick: Villanova -11.5 (Play to -12)
My Villanova vs La Salle best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Villanova vs. La Salle Odds
| Villanova Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | -800 |
| La Salle Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | +550 |
- Villanova vs La Salle spread: Villanova -11.5
- Villanova vs La Salle over/under: 143 points
- Villanova vs La Salle moneyline: Villanova -800, La Salle +550
Villanova vs La Salle College Basketball Betting Preview
Villanova Basketball
After struggling mightily under Kyle Neptune, the Wildcats hope this is a new era in Big Five basketball. They went just 2-4 over the last two seasons against Philly foes, so Kevin Willard has a chance for immediate improvement.
After a season-opening loss to BYU, Villanova’s offense has been an inferno in three buy games since. The Wildcats have posted 1.38, 1.42 and 1.24 points per possession over that span, led by sublime guard play from Acaden Lewis and Bryce Lindsay.
The latter averaged 24.0 points per game, drilling 13 triples. Lewis has been more of a playmaker, racking up six assists a night while also starting to find his scoring touch around the rim.
Arguably the most important Wildcat, though, has been physical center Duke Brennan. He leads the entire country in rebounds per game at 14.8. Remarkably, he’s still a top 10 rebounder in the Big East if you only count his offensive rebounds.
That steady diet of second-shot opportunities has been a major boost to an attack that hasn't generated many easy points via the charity stripe.
Defensively, Villanova has struggled slightly, but the Wildcats may be underrated due to bad shooting luck. Opponents are cashing in on 42.5% of their triples thus far, ranking Nova’s defense 353rd in the country.
Should that normalize, Villanova would look much more imposing on that end, especially with Brennan dominating the boards and the hyper-versatile Tyler Perkins disrupting opponents’ flow.
La Salle Basketball
Like Villanova, La Salle is entering a new era via a new coach. First-year boss Darris Nichols scoured the country far and wide for new pieces, and the result is a squad with a lot of positional size (64th in average height) and a high-upside freshman guard in Ashton Walker.
Recent results have been discouraging. The Explorers rolled over in the second half against Big Five rival Temple on Nov. 11, allowing a 13-point halftime deficit to balloon as large as 35.
The next time out, the Explorers immediately got down 32-14 after surrendering a 23-2 run to Penn State. They didn't fully roll over, but they never cut the margin to single digits the rest of the way.
La Salle’s defense has gotten blitzed in that span. Temple posted 1.34 points per possession, while the Nittany Lions registered 1.30 PPP.
Despite its positional size on the wing, La Salle lacks a true rim presence beyond thin, foul-prone center Edwin Daniel, and the perimeter defenders haven't been disruptive.
Offensively, hot shooting has buoyed a group that's struggled mightily to finish around the basket. Per CBB Analytics, La Salle is getting to the rim often (91st percentile in frequency), but the Explorers can't convert once there (54.8%, 17th percentile).
Forwards Josiah Harris and Justin Archer are the biggest culprits, with both players finishing at a sub-40% clip around the bucket. The Explorers have to figure out how to generate easier looks inside.
Villanova vs. La Salle Betting Analysis
The simplest view of this handicap is that one team is playing well (Villanova), while the other is reeling and unable to compete with better teams (La Salle).
The Wildcats have been torching inferior foes, and if La Salle stops making 3s at a scalding rate, the leaky defense could get blown out again.
Then again, this is a massive rivalry as part of the Big Five, and La Salle desperately needs to redeem itself after the pitiful second stanza against Temple.
Digging deeper, the Explorers’ inability to create quality shots and finish around the basket could be their undoing against Brennan and the Wildcats’ excellent defensive rebounding.
Without the second shots earned by Harris and Archer, La Salle’s offense will be wholly reliant on the perimeter – and the Explorers only have a couple of shooters (Jaeden Marshall and Damon Strand).
The emergence of both Lewis and Lindsay in the Wildcats’ backcourt should also give them a massive edge against the “figuring it out” group at La Salle. La Salle could struggle badly to keep Lewis in front on the perimeter, and if Lindsay gets any daylight on the perimeter, he rarely misses.
Villanova is the better team and has multiple matchup advantages. Considering how poorly La Salle has played against this level of opponent, I'm not inclined to catch the falling knife in hoping the Explorers suddenly figure it out.
That's especially true against Villanova, which appears to be clicking as a unit.
I’ll lay it with Villanova, even within the Big Five.
My Pick: Villanova -11.5 (Play to -12)
