In a story told probably a million times already, the Virginia Cavaliers became the first and still only team in the history of the NCAA to lose to a No. 16 seed as a No. 1 seed. Will the Cavs be so unlucky that they suffer the same fate again this year against the upset-hunting Gardner Webb Bulldogs? The Bulldogs have long odds of +500,000 to win the national title, while Virginia is +700 to finish the mission they fell way short of accomplishing a year ago.
Gardner Webb was a surprise winner in the Big South Tournament title, as the Bulldogs were only ranked fourth. They fully earned it, though, as the Bulldogs defeated No. 1 seed Campbell Fighting Camels and the No. 2 Radford Highlanders in the semifinals and the finals, respectively. Gardner Webb’s offense clicked in those two games, shooting 59.6 percent from the field against Campbell and 52.1 percent in the Radford game. Senior forward DJ Laster will have target on his back against Virginia, as he’s been lights out of late. Laster scored 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting against Radford and has averaged 21.8 points in the last five games on 45 percent shooting from the field. He’s arguably the hottest player in all of Division I basketball entering the Big Dance. As a team, Gardner Webb averaged 75.8 points per game in the regular season and shot 47.8 percent from the floor — 24th nationally.
The over is 3-0 in Gardner Webb’s last three games. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are 11-8 against the spread (ATS) after a win this season, covering 57.9% of the time.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (29-3 Overall / 16-2 Conference)
Virginia claimed a top seed in the national tournament despite losing to the Florida State Seminoles in the semifinals of the ACC tourney last week, 69-56. The loss to the ‘Noles was brought about in large part by Virginia’s rare display of ineptness on offense. Virginia shot just 41.5 percent from the floor against Florida State and went just 5-for-24 from deep. That’s more of a hiccup than anything that points to another disaster in March Madness for Virginia. Though. After all, the Hoos were among the most efficient scoring teams in all of college basketball. In the regular season, Virginia averaged 71.8 points per game and had a 55.7 effective field goal percentage. The Cavs should be able to recapture their offensive touch against Gardner Webb’s defense that hasn’t met a team of Virginia’s caliber yet this season. The Hoos know how to get things done on offense, and likely how to stop Gardner Webb’s attack. Virginia’s defense allowed just 55.1 points in the regular season and limited opponents to just 38.0 percent shooting from the field.
Virginia is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games, and is 2-0 ATS after a loss this season.
