No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Villanova will face off in a late game Friday night at Westwood’s Pauley Pavilion in what could be one of the best and most even and compelling matchups of opening week — and possibly of opening month — of the 2021-22 college basketball season. 

The Bruins are slight favorites at home over the visiting Wildcats but both teams enter the game having blown out their competition in season-openers. For UCLA, that was a 95-58 destruction of CSU Bakersfield, and for Villanova, it was a 91-51 dismantling of Mount St. Mary’s. So it’s hard to get a good feel on what to expect when the teams clash Friday.

One thing is certain: Both teams boast experience and depth that programs across the country covet. UCLA returns every player of significance from its Final Four run a season ago and Villanova returns star guard Collin Gillespie and a wealth of experience around him. It sets up an old-school college hoops showdown Friday between two legit title contenders. 

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Here is what to know before the game and who our team expects to come out on top. 

How to watch UCLA vs. Villanova live

Date: Friday, Nov. 12 | Time: 11:30 p.m. ET
Location: Pauley Pavilion — Los Angeles
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

UCLA vs. Villanova prediction, picks

Featured Game | UCLA Bruins vs. Villanova Wildcats

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UCLA is the slight betting favorite and on a neutral court, this feels like it’d probably be a pick ’em. But it’s not on a neutral court — it’s on UCLA’s court. So inside Pauley Pavilion I like the Bruins to ride the wave of crowd support to a big win (figuratively but not literally). Nova will keep this close though, I’d expect, so I’m taking the points with the ‘Cats.  Prediction: UCLA 69, Villanova 66

Who wins every college basketball game? And which teams could sink your bankroll? Visit SportsLine now to see how to pick every college basketball game, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times and has generated over $2,000 in profit the last four-plus years.

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