Villanova vs. Temple Prediction, men's basketball - February 16, 2020

Villanova vs. Temple Prediction, men's basketball - February 16, 2020

The #15 Villanova Wildcats are 4-0 against the Temple Owls since February of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success Sunday. The Wildcats will challenge Temple on the road at 1 p.m. ET at Liacouras Center. These two teams are tiptoeing into their contest after sneaking past their previous opponents.

The No. 15 Villanova Wildcats (18-6) will head to the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls (13-11) Sunday afternoon.

The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:

Villanova escaped with a win against the Marquette Golden Eagles by the margin of a single free throw, 72-71. Four players on Villanova scored in the double digits: forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (17), guard Collin Gillespie (14), forward Jermaine Samuels (14), and forward Saddiq Bey (10).

It was another big night for Temple's guard Quinton Rose, who had 23 points in addition to eight boards. Speaking of close games things were close when the Owls and the Tulane Green Wave clashed this past Wednesday, but Temple ultimately edged out the opposition 72-68. Kudos to the oddsmakers for accurately forecasting both the winner and the close margin. 

Villanova is now 18-6 while Temple sits at 13-11. But Temple enters the game with 8.1 steals per game on average, good for 19th best in college basketball. Ball control might end up being a major factor in this one. Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Wildcats come into the matchup boasting the 16th fewest steals given up per game in college basketball at 5.8.

Guard Quinton Rose leads the Owls in scoring, averaging 16.2 points a game. Junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis is the only other player scoring 10+ points a game for the Owls, netting 11.2 points a contest. Temple is averaging 69.3 points a game, which is not going to win the team many games against a group as well-balanced as this Villanova squad.

How To Watch

    When: Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

    Where: Liacouras Center -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    TV: ESPN

    Follow: CBS Sports App

    Ticket Cost: $55.00

The Wildcats are a solid 6.5-point favorite against the Owls, according to the latest college basketball odds.

Vegas was right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model.

Villanova have won all of the games they've played against Temple in the last six years.

    Dec 05, 2018 - Villanova 69 vs. Temple 59

    Dec 13, 2017 - Villanova 87 vs. Temple 67

    Dec 13, 2016 - Villanova 78 vs. Temple 57

    Feb 17, 2016 - Villanova 83 vs. Temple 67