Utah State vs. Villanova odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The ninth-seeded Utah State Aggies will face the eighth-seeded Villanova Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Utah State is coming off a 73-62 win over San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game. Villanova, meanwhile, dropped a 78-64 decision to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Tournament. The Aggies (28-6), who have won four in a row, won the Mountain West regular-season title at 15-5. The Wildcats (24-8), who have won two of their last three games, finished 15-5 and in third place in the Big East standings.

Tipoff from Viejas Arena in San Diego is set for 4:10 p.m. ET. Utah State is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Utah State vs. Villanova odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5. Before making any Utah State vs. Villanova picks, you NEED to the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated Utah State vs. Villanova 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in 60% of simulations!