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Two of the Philadelphia Big 5 schools will square off in a season-opening matchup on Monday evening. Villanova, who went 30-8 last season and advanced to the Final Four, will play its first game under new coach Kyle Neptune following Jay Wright's retirement. The Wildcats will take on the La Salle Explorers, who finished 11-19 a season ago and ranked 12th in the Atlantic 10. Villanova has won the last eight meetings between the schools, including a 26-point victory last season.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET from Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. The Wildcats are 15-point favorites in the latest Villanova vs. La Salle odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 137.5. Before locking in any La Salle vs. Villanova picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. 

Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. La Salle, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for La Salle vs. Villanova:

  • Villanova vs. La Salle spread: Villanova -15
  • Villanova vs. La Salle over-under: 137.5 points
  • NOVA: Lost its three top scorers from last season
  • LAS: Won four of its last five games
  • Villanova vs. La Salle picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why La Salle can cover 

The Explorers' top returning scorer is Josh Nickelberry, who averaged 11.2 points per game last season after averaging just 1.5 PPG over the first two years of his college career, which came at Louisville. Nickelberry can catch fire from deep and he had five games last season with at least five made three-pointers. But he'll need a better showing than his performance against the Wildcats from last season in which he scored just two points on 0 of 7 shooting.

La Salle also added twins Hassan Drame and Fousseyni Drame who transferred from St. Peter's. The 6-foot-7 forwards helped power the Peacocks' run to the Elite Eight and they combined to average 13 points and 11.7 rebounds.

Why Villanova can cover

The Wildcats do the little things well such as making free throws and protecting the ball. The team led the nation with an 83 percent mark from the charity stripe, and Nova was also amongst a handful of teams to average fewer than 10 turnovers per game.

Villanova has great leadership with sixth-year senior Caleb Daniels who averaged 10.3 points per game last season. He will be paired in the backcourt with dynamic incoming freshman Mark Armstrong, who set his high school's scoring mark in New Jersey. He was the No. 1 player coming out of New Jersey, per 247Sports, and averaged 23.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his senior year. Neptune may be stepping into a huge void left by Wright's departure, but he is well-versed with the Villanova program and spent 13 years there as an assistant.

How to make Villanova vs. La Salle picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 139 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine

So who wins La Salle vs. Villanova? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% percent of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,200 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.