Big East Basketball
Villanova Preview: Wildcats vs Friars in South Philly

Villanova Men’s Basketball has a chance to get back in the win column — and inch their way back toward the NCAA Tournament field — when they face the Providence Friars at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.
The Wildcats swept the season series last year with a pair of double digit wins. Providence has just one road win in four attempts this season, while Villanova sits at a near-perfect 9-1 when playing at home… but with that said, this game will take place at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center rather than the Wildcats’ Finneran Pavilion. It‘ll still count as a Quad 3 matchup, though, with Villanova serving as the home team rather than a neutral location.
Villanova enters the matchup on an 0-2 streak after blowing late leads against St. John’s and Xavier, while Providence sits at 2-3 in their last five games, enduring a close road loss to UConn and suffering blowouts at the hands of Creighton and the Red Storm.
ESPN Analytics gives Villanova (11-7, 4-3 Big East) an 80.9 percent chance of securing the home win over the Friars (9-9, 3-4 Big East). The point spread, per ESPN Bet, rests at -8.5 in the Wildcats’ favor with the money line at -400 and the over/under set at 141.5. Villanova occupies the No. 53 spot in the NET rankings, while Providence sits at No. 88. The KenPom ratings, on the other hand, put Villanova and Providence at No. 46 and No. 91, respectively.
Where to Watch; Who to Watch
FS1 will broadcast this matchup. The availability of Bryce Hopkins, who leads the Friars with 17 points per game this season — but has played just three games, last suiting up in early December as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in January 2024 — has yet to be determined. Other Providence players who score in double digits on average include guards Jayden Pierre (13.1), Bensley Joseph (11.8) and Wesley Cardet Jr. (10.2).
Much like Villanova, the Friars go with a slow moving, small-ball heavy lineup, but with the 236th-ranked scoring offense in the country (compared to the Wildcats’ 110th) they’re far less effective. Forward Oswin Erhunmwunse leads Providence with 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while Joseph picks up an average of 1.2 steals and 2.8 assists (ball movement is another weakness for the Friars, whose 11.7 assists per game sit at No. 315 in the nation).
For the Wildcats, Eric Dixon ranks first in all of Division 1 with 24.8 points scored per game this season. St. John’s and Xavier held him to 18 points apiece, but look for him to feast against the Friars’ lineup. Wooga Poplar pulls down a team-high 6.5 boards per game, Jhamir Brickus contributes 5.6 assists, Jordan Longino collects 1.6 steals and power forward Enoch Boakye picks up 0.9 blocks per game while playing the 5.