The third No. 8 vs. No. 9 game of the NCAA Tournament takes place in San Diego on Friday afternoon. Utah State is listed as a 2.5-point favorite on the spread against Villanova at 4:10 p.m. ET, televised on TNT.
The Aggies (28-6) head to their fourth straight tourney after capturing a Mountain West Conference automatic bid. The Wildcats (24-8) finished third in the Big East with an impressive 15-5 record.
Let’s look at a Utah State vs. Villanova spread prediction for Friday’s showdown at Viejas Arena. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Utah State vs. Villanova Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
These schools have met once, coming back in the 1960 NIT, with Utah State winning 73-72.
The Aggies are becoming a staple in the tourney, although they've advanced past the first round just once in the last three seasons. Utah State’s lone win came against TCU in 2024 before getting routed by UCLA in the second round, 106-67.
Villanova is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since reaching the 2022 National Semifinals, marking Jay Wright’s final game as head coach. The Wildcats have won eight straight first-round games, with their last defeat coming to North Carolina in 2013.
Utah State vs. Villanova Spread, Over/Under
The Aggies enter this matchup as 2.5-point favorites, returning a 1.75x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Wildcats are underdogs with a 2x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Utah State Aggies -2.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 147.5 (2x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Utah State 1.75x | Villanova 2x
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
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Utah State vs. Villanova Prediction on Spread – 3/20/26
Here are some key stats to know before locking in your Utah State vs. Villanova prediction on spread for Friday, March 20 on PrizePicks.
- For the second straight season, Utah State finished with a losing record against the spread at 15-18.
- The Aggies failed to cover in their final five regular season games but covered all three outings in the MWC Tournament.
- Utah State owns a perfect 3-0 record both straight-up and ATS as a favorite of 2.5 points or less.
- Villanova stumbled to a 3-6 ATS mark in its final nine games, including underdog losses to UConn and St. John’s.
- The last NCAA Tournament team Villanova beat was Wisconsin, 76-66 in overtime on December 19.
- The Wildcats were one of two Big East teams to finish top-40 nationally in both offensive efficiency (40th) and defensive efficiency (35th).
- Utah State ranks 11th in the country in 2-point shooting (59.3%). Villanova sits 170th in defensive 2-point clip (51.5%).
- The Aggies force a defensive turnover rate of 20.6%, ranking 16th overall. In each of the three MWC tourney wins, Utah State posted a mark of at least 20%.
- Villanova hasn’t lost consecutive games this season, going 7-0 off a defeat.
- The Wildcats converted 18 or fewer 2-point field goals in 11 of the last 15 games. The Aggies have held 13 of their past 16 opponents to fewer than 18 2-point makes.
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Make Utah State vs. Villanova Picks on PrizePicks
The Aggies and Wildcats travel to San Diego for an exciting 8-9 matchup. You can make your Utah State vs. Villanova picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money.
Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Check out the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, news, and more throughout the NCAA Tournament.
