West Virginia and Villanova each had ho-hum wins in the first and second rounds, but both teams will be in for an intense matchup this Friday in Boston. Read on for a preview of this game below and register here to wager with your pick on this big March Madness matchup.
Betting Preview for the West Virginia Mountaineers vs Villanova Wildcats Sweet 16 College Basketball Game on March 23, 2018
Where: TD Garden
When: Friday, March 23, 7:27PM
Line: West Virginia Mountaineers (n/a) vs Villanova Wildcats (n/a)– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: TBS
Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers – March Madness 2018
West Virginia is yet to be put on an acid test in the tournament, but if that’s what the Mountaineers are looking for, they will get exactly just that this Friday against the Wildcats. West Virginia pulverized Murray State in the first round (85-68) and vaporized Marshall in the second round (94-71). Both those teams are not even on the same level of the Wildcats even on their worst days, so WVU will certainly have its hands full in the Sweet 16 round. Without a doubt. WVU’s pressure defense is going to be crucial against Villanova. The Mountaineers are eighth in the nation in steals with 8.1 per game and fifth in forcing turnovers with opposing teams committing 16.5. They also have good rim protection with 5.2 blocks per contest. Marshall had 18 errors against them and shot below 40 percent from the field. Guard Jevon Carter is having a blast so far in the tournament with an average of 24.5 points in the last two games, but he also personifies the defense that makes West Virginia all the more scarier to face. Carter leads the nation in the postseason with 5.5 steals per outing.
Betting on the Villanova Wildcats – March Madness 2018
Like West Virginia, the Wildcats have been barely touched in the postseason, destroying Radford and Alabama by a combined margin of 49 points. Villanova ended the regular season as the highest scoring team in Division I ball with 86.9 points per game. The Wildcats shot 50.3 percent from the field, 59.5 percent on two-point attempts and 40.1 percent on three-pointers prior to the postseason. The Crimson Tide were expected to at least put up a decent fight against Villanova, but the Wildcats just had so many tools to win in the manner they did despite subpar performances from Jalen Brunson (12 points on 3/7 FG) and Phil Booth (four points, 1/5 FG). Mikal Bridges dropped 23 points while Donte DiVincenzo had 18 points to stabilize Villanova. The Wildcats made it rain from the outside, hitting 17 three-pointers on 41 attempts. West Virginia is going to cause the Wildcats some problems in bringing down the ball, but Villanova is just the type of team that is deep enough to weather such defensive storm.
Writer’s Prediction
West Virginia takes out Villanova, 77-75.
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