It's another edition of the “Holy War” on Wednesday night as the two Philadelphia-area schools play in their annual matchup. Villanova has won every game over Saint Josephs since 2012. It is time to continue our college basketball odds series with a Saint Josephs-Villanova prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Saint Josephs is looking for their second consecutive win when they visit the Wildcats on Wednesday night. Their last victory came against Sacred Heart on Sunday, winning 64-55 on the back of Cameron Brown's 16-point performance. Saint Josephs has a respectable 4-2 record, including an overtime loss to ranked Kentucky. However, they also have a disappointing home loss to Texas A&M Commerce. The question tonight will be which Saint Josephs team shows up to battle their cross-city rival.

Villanova is in the middle of a four-game winning streak, which includes a sweep of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Villanova started their win streak with a victory over Maryland, then took care of Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Memphis to win the Atlantis tournament. They dominated Memphis in the championship game, leading by as many as 35 points before finishing with a 79-63 victory. Eric Dixon was the Atlantis MVP, averaging 21.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Saint Josephs-Villanova Odds

Saint Josephs: +12.5 (-110) ML (+640)

Villanova: -12.5 (-110) ML (-1000)

Over: 141.5 (-115)

Under: 141.5 (-105)

How to Watch Saint Josephs vs. Villanova 

Time: 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Saint Josephs Will Cover The Spread

Saint Josephs has an above-average defense, ranking 62nd in the nation, allowing only 64.2 points per game. Villanova, despite their record, is the 113th-best offensive team. Saint Josephs' offense is 167th, and Villanova's defense is 60th, meaning this game could be a defensive battle. What does this mean for the spread? It will be tough to cover a double-digit spread when the game may not have a lot of points.

Saint Josephs may have an issue with finding the internal motivation for games against lesser opponents. Their offense failed to show up against Texas A&M Commerce, which makes up one of their two losses. They also failed to cover the spread against Sacred Heart on Sunday, winning by 9 points while being double-digit favorites. However, their other loss against Kentucky came as 16-point underdogs, but Saint Josephs took them to overtime and lost by eight points.

It's hard relying on common opponents in college basketball, as you never know when teams will show up on a night. However, it's worth noting that Villanova's last loss came in an upset by Penn, beating the Wildcats 76-72. Saint Josephs defeated Penn 69-61 three days before that game. Villanova went on to win four straight games and had a grueling schedule in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament to take the tournament's championship. Will Villanova be able to dig deep and reach Saint Josephs' level in this rivalry game?

Why Villanova Will Cover The Spread

Villanova is on fire right now, coming off the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament victory. After losing to Penn, a switch was flipped, and the Wildcats have won four consecutive games against good basketball schools. They started by shutting down Maryland's offense to the tune of a 57-40 victory. Their offense exploded in the Bahamas, scoring 85, 83, and 79 points against Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Memphis. They return home looking to shore up their defensive game and will likely return to their slow, suffocating style. This style is conducive to keeping underdogs within the number. However, Villanova just showed they can win by a lot with this style before heading to the Atlantis tournament.

Saint Josephs should show up ready to play more than Maryland in that previously mentioned matchup but will need to hit their threes at a high rate to keep the game close. Maryland shot 5 for 26 from three-point range, which was the reason they could only manage 40 points since the Wildcats are committed to taking away the easy drives and making their opponents shoot three-pointers.

Final Saint Josephs-Villanova Prediction & Pick

Saint Josephs has shown an ability to play with the nation's best teams this season, as they took Kentucky to overtime. Their downfall has been trying to get up for games against lower-level opponents. Saint Josephs sleepwalked through their game against Sacred Heart on Sunday, a good indicator that they are looking ahead to their rivalry matchup with Villanova. Saint Josephs has kept the score within 12 points in three of the last five matchups despite the team being near the bottom of the Atlantic 10 standings. This may be the best edition of Saint Josephs in a long time and their best chance to win the “Holy War” since 2012. Villanova is coming off a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament victory, taking down Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Memphis.

They will have no problem being motivated to take down their rivals, but will they have enough in the tank to run up the score and cover a double-digit spread?

Villanova is also generally a slow-playing team, but that hasn't been shown after playing up-tempo teams like North Carolina and Memphis. The Villanova defense will not allow Saint Josephs to beat them off the dribble, letting Saint Josephs take threes with their 348th rank in three-point attempt rate allowed. Villanova's slow play, combined with Saint Josephs being allowed to take the three, could increase the opportunity for Saint Josephs to keep this game close and possibly steal an upset win.

Final Saint Josephs-Villanova Prediction & Pick: Saint Josephs +12.5 (-110)