Utah State Aggies vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 3/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah State Aggies vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026

Location: Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Utah State (-2)

Viejas Arena is where the Villanova Wildcats (24-8) will attempt to beat the Utah State Aggies (28-6) on Friday in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Utah State opens as 2-point favorites. The betting total is set at 146.

The Utah State Aggies stepped onto the hardwood against San Diego State and earned the victory with a final of 73-62 in their last game. Utah State wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.2% field goal percentage (30 out of 65) and buried 6 of their 21 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Aggies buried 7 of 13 shots for a percentage of 53.8%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 37 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 15 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 10 steals. With respect to the defense, Utah State allowed the other team to go 40.8% from the floor on 20 of 49 shooting. San Diego State doled out 17 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. In addition, San Diego State had 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. San Diego State walked away from this one shooting 70.8% at the free throw line by making 17 of 24 tries. They also knocked down 5 of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Aggies left the arena with 19 while San Diego State recorded 21 fouls.

MJ Collins is one guy who was a major factor for the contest. He accounted for 20 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He played 37 minutes played and grabbed 3 rebounds. He finished the game at 53.3% from the floor and also earned 1 assist.

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Utah State enters this contest with a mark of 28-6 this season. They are averaging 82.5 pts per contest (46th in D-1) while hitting 49.8% from the field. The Aggies are shooting 35.8% on three-point attempts (293 of 818) and 70.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Utah State is collecting 34.6 rebounds per game and has earned 599 assists on the season, which ranks 9th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.6 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.9 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Aggies have forced 14.2 turnovers per game while drawing 18.0 fouls. They rank 93rd in college hoops in giving up assists with 400 conceded for the year. The Aggies defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.4% (800 of 1,888) and they surrender 32.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are giving up 33.8% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 83rd in the nation in points per game allowed (70.4).

In their last game, the Villanova Wildcats took a loss by a score of 78-64 when they faced Georgetown. The Wildcats earned 11 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 19 in this game. They also coughed up the ball 6 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. Georgetown committed 12 personal fouls in the game which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 14 tries. They were able to convert 11 of the free throws for a rate of 78.6%. When discussing shooting from downtown, Villanova knocked down 7 of their 29 tries (24.1%). When all was said and done, the Wildcats shot 23 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 37.7%. The Wildcats allowed Georgetown to convert 30 out of 59 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.8% for this game. They wrapped up this game 40.0% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 8 of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 10 out of 15 from the free throw line (66.7%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Villanova permitted Georgetown to get 42 in all (14 offensive).

Duke Brennan ended up having an impact for the Wildcats for the game. He knocked down 4 of 7 for the contest giving him a rate of 57.1%, and totaled 6 rebounds. He earned 14 points in his 34 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in this game.

Villanova has a record of 24-8 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Wildcats are shooting 45.7% from the field, which is ranked 155th in the nation. Villanova has accounted for 2,469 points for the year (77.2 per contest) and they average 34.5 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.5 times per game (91st in the country) and they are turning it over 10.1 times per contest. The Wildcats commit 16.0 fouls per contest and they hit 69.4% from the free throw line.

The Villanova defense concedes 33.9% on 3-point shots (230 of 678) and their opponents are knocking down 71.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 13.9 assists and 34.7 rebounds per game, which ranks 222nd and 207th in college. The Wildcats on defense are ranked 96th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 70.8. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (232nd in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah State (-2)

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