No. 12 Nova looks to extend streak vs Providence

Providence (16-12, 9-6) vs. No. 12 Villanova (22-6, 11-4)

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 12 Villanova looks for its sixth straight win in the head-to-head series over Providence. In its last five wins against the Friars, Villanova has won by an average of 10 points. Providence’s last win in the series came on Feb. 14, 2018, a 76-71 victory.

STEPPING UP: Villanova’s Saddiq Bey has averaged 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while Collin Gillespie has put up 15.5 points and 4.6 assists. For the Friars, Alpha Diallo has averaged 14 points and eight rebounds while David Duke has put up 12 points and 4.3 rebounds.

KEY FACILITATOR: Bey has either made or assisted on 41 percent of all Villanova field goals over the last three games. Bey has accounted for 22 field goals and 11 assists in those games.

WINLESS WHEN: Providence is 0-6 when scoring fewer than 61 points and 16-6 when scoring at least 61.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Friars have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Wildcats. Villanova has an assist on 47 of 81 field goals (58 percent) over its past three contests while Providence has assists on 46 of 74 field goals (62.2 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Villanova as a team has made 10 3-pointers per game this season, which is 10th-best among Division I teams. The Wildcats have averaged 12.4 3-pointers per game over their five-game winning streak.