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The Villanova Wildcats will try to stay hot when they host the struggling DePaul Blue Demons on Tuesday at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. After losing back-to-back games to Baylor and Creighton in mid-December, Villanova (14-5, 7-2 Big East) has won seven of its last eight games and is tied with Providence (16-2, 6-1) atop the conference standings. The Wildcats are coming off an 85-74 victory over Georgetown. By contrast, DePaul (10-8, 1-7) has lost seven of its last eight games and leads only Georgetown in the Big East standings. The Blue Demons are coming off a 60-47 loss to Creighton. 

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are favored by 17.5 points in the latest Villanova vs. DePaul odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 133.5. Before making any DePaul vs. Villanova picks, be sure to check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 12 of the season with a 49-36 record on all top-rated college basketball picks, returning almost $700. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of $2,800 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
 
Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. DePaul, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for DePaul vs. Villanova:

  • Villanova vs. DePaul spread: Wildcats -17.5 
  • Villanova vs. DePaul over-under: 133.5 points 
  • Villanova vs. DePaul money line: Wildcats -3500, Blue Demons +1300
  • NOVA: The Wildcats lead the nation in free-throw percentage (82.4) 
  • DEP: Javon Freeman-Liberty leads the Big East in points per game (21.1)

Why the Wildcats can cover

Villanova has dominated the series against DePaul. The Wildcats have won the last 21 meetings between the teams dating to January 2008. Earlier this month, Villanova whipped the Blue Demons 79-64 in Chicago despite trailing by five points at halftime.

In addition, guard Collin Gillespie is having another standout season. The fifth-year senior leads the team in points (17.3) and assists per game (3.2). He also is shooting 46.0 percent from the field, 41.6 percent on 3-pointers and 91.1 percent from the free-throw line. In the Wildcats' victory over DePaul earlier this month, he led the Wildcats with 28 points.

Why the Blue Demons can cover

DePaul has one of the Big East's most prolific scorers in Javon Freeman-Liberty. A 6-foot-4 senior from Chicago, Freeman-Liberty leads the conference and ranks ninth in the country in points per game (21.1). In the first game against Villanova this season, he torched the Wildcats for 22 points in the first half. 
 
In addition, the Blue Demons face a Villanova team that has very little depth. The Wildcats rely heavily on just six players who average at least 23 minutes per game. No one else averages more than 14, and just two other players average more than eight. 

How to make Villanova vs. DePaul picks

The model is leaning over on the total, predicting a combined 142 points, and it also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can get the model's DePaul vs. Villanova pick only at SportsLine. 

So who wins DePaul vs. Villanova? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Villanova vs. DePaul spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned $2,800 on its college basketball picks the last five-plus years, and find out.