West Virginia vs. Villanova Pick
In the anticipated game of Friday’s NCAA Tournament slate, will top-seeded Villanova be too much for No. 5 West Virginia at 7:27PM ET?
GAME SNAPSHOT
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region: (871) West Virginia vs. (872) Villanova
Friday, March 23, 2018
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV: TBS, 7:27PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Villanova is favored in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -5.5 points against West Virginia. The over/under total is currently listed at 152.5 points.
LINE MOVEMENT
The spread opened with Villanova as a 5-point favorite. The line climbed to 5.5 points during the week and hit a low of 4.5 before settling in at 5.5. The over/under total opened at 153 points and peaked at 155 before falling back to 152.5.
Bet on College Basketball for Friday, March 23, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is behind Villanova tonight. As of Friday morning, the Wildcats are getting 72 percent of the wagers on this game as the favorite against West Virginia.
KEY INJURIES
Villanova doesn’t have anyone listed on the injury report for tonight’s game. West Virginia forward Wesley Harris is listed as probable despite dealing with a concussion. He averages 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Mountaineers.
BETTING STRATEGIES
West Virginia has disposed of Murray State (85-68) and Marshall (94-71) in its first two games of the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers have covered a pair of double-digit spreads in the process. WVU is 17-15 against the spread on the season and 10-9 ATS on the road. It is putting up 80.2 per game on offense this year while allowing just 69 per game on defense.
Villanova has defeated Radford (87-61) and Alabama (81-58) to open its NCAA Tournament run. The Wildcats covered a pair of double-digit spreads as well. Nova is now an impressive 24-12 against the spread this season with a 15-8 record on the road. The Wildcats are putting up 86.9 points per game this season and allowing 70.2. The Cats shoot an impressive 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from the arc.
Villanova is the team I liked to win the tournament for the start and the Wildcats gave me no reason to doubt them last weekend. While West Virginia also looked good, it got to beat up a pair of double-digit seeds. Nova has now won seven straight and covered in five of its last six. The Wildcats seem to be ready to play strong on both sides of the ball and I think they will be too much for the Mountaineers tonight.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: VILLANOVA -5