Judging by the spread of No. 11 Villanova’s game Tuesday against No. 9 Providence, one might think the matchup was between a Big East power and one of the conference’s middle-tier teams. Not the top two teams in the conference, which it is.
Villanova is favored by 9.5 points at Tipico Sportsbook, a number that feels extremely large even with home-court advantage on its side.