The Providence Friars take on the Villanova Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Providence Villanova prediction and pick. Find how to watch Providence Villanova.

The Villanova Wildcats have had a very up-and-down season. There have essentially been two different versions of Villanova we have seen over the course of the season. It hasn't been a smooth ride for Villanova. The Wildcats have lost to Drexel, St. Joseph's, and Penn, but on the other hand, they have beaten North Carolina, Creighton, UCLA, Memphis, and Maryland. They blew a big late-game lead at Butler and were not prepared to start last week's game against Marquette, but they won on the road at Creighton after being down by a double-digit margin. This team sometimes shows what it is capable of, and it sometimes doesn't show up to play. There is a lot of variance in this team's effort and results.

Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune has to come to grips with the reality that his team's performance fluctuates considerably and has not been relentlessly consistent. Villanova results seem to be random, based on waking up bright-eyed one day and then being sleepy the next. This is a really hard team to pin down, and that's why a very talented group is not yet a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Villanova has work left to do, and a win over Providence would be a big step in the right direction.

Here are the Providence-Villanova College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Providence-Villanova Odds

Providence Friars: +4.5 (-110)

Villanova Wildcats: -4.5 (-110)

Over: 137.5 (-110)

Under: 137.5 (-110)

How To Watch Providence vs Villanova

Time: 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Providence Could Cover the Spread

The Villanova Wildcats are a confusing, puzzling team. A lot of people thought they would be ready to play Marquette last week. The game actually was close at the end, but many observers and college basketball analysts were shocked at how Nova was not ready to answer the opening bell. The Wildcats fell behind 37-20 to Marquette. They rallied and made the Golden Eagles sweat out the game at the end, but it was still a major disappointment that Nova did not compete for the full 40 minutes. With that kind of frailty and volatility as part of Villanova's overall identity and team profile, it's easy to trust a hard-working Providence team which gave No. 1 UConn a real and legitimate battle this past week before losing by only nine points in a game which was relatively close and competitive the whole way.

Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread

The Wildcats have to win this game, or else they're in big bubble trouble. The urgency of this game, combined with Villanova having played poorly in previous games and also being at home, should lead the Wildcats to deliver a strong bounce-back effort in this game. Villanova is too good to continue playing subpar basketball. This is a “get right” game for the Wildcats. They will use motivation to beat Providence by 10 points.

Final Providence-Villanova Prediction & Pick

The reality of this game is that it is a bubble game, which means neither team is especially trustworthy or dependable. It's the kind of game in which to stay away from a pregame bet and to instead think about a live-betting play.

Final Providence-Villanova Prediction & Pick: Providence +4.5