The Villanova Wildcats have not gotten past the round of 32 in their last four trips to the tournament. But based on their performance in the previous round, they look set to go deep in the Big Dance this year. Their next opponents, the NC State Wolfpack, probably should have been sent packing already, had it not been for some late-game heroics. Can the Wolfpack rally and give the Wildcats a run for their money? Read on for our preview below.
The Wildcats are running wild in this tournament. Check out how the other two will fare in the round of 32 with our previews of Arizona vs. Ohio State and Kentucky vs. Cincinnati.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 1 Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 8 NC State Wolfpack Preview
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh
When: Saturday, March 21, 7:10 PM ET
Line: No. 1 Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 8 NC State Wolfpack – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Villanova Wildcats
No. 1 Villanova came to play in its round of 64 game against Lafayette and it came away with a resounding 93-52 win. The Wildcats shot a sizzling 63 percent from the field and went 11-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Big East champions have now won a sweet 16 games in a row. They’ve also gone 14-2 against the spread in those 16 games.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Big wins are nothing new to the Wildcats, who have been blowing teams out of the water over their last five games. They smoked St. John’s (a No. 9 seed in the tournament) by 37, Marquette by 35 and Xavier (a No. 6 seed) by 17 in the conference tournament final.
Seven Wildcats scored nine or more points against Lafayette, including all five starters, who each scored at least 12 points. Six players averaged nine or more points per game this season. If they play their highly effective style of unselfish basketball with a lot of spacing and ball movement, they should find enough decent looks against NC State’s unspectacular overall defense (88th in adjusted defensive efficiency).
The Wildcats themselves aren’t too bad on the defensive end either, ranking 12th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Big man Daniel Ochefu has been rock solid in the center of that defense, and has pulled down at least seven rebounds in his last eight games. Ochefu will be crucial in keeping a very good rebounding team in the Wolfpack (20th in the nation in total rebounding) from controlling the boards.
Betting on the NC State Wolfpack
NC State looked dead and buried against LSU as it was down by 16 points in the second half. But a big-time Tigers collapse opened the door for the Wolfpack to claw back into the game. With time running out, Beejay Anya put in the buzzer-beating hook shot to claim the dramatic 66-65 win. Leading scorer Trevor Lacey (15.8 points per game) had an off-night with just nine points, but Anthony “Cat” Barber picked up the slack with 17 to lead the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack will need Cat to have another strong game against the Wildcats if Lacey’s recent struggles continue. Lacey also struggled mightily in their ACC tournament quarterfinal loss against Duke, and has now shot 6-of-23 (26 percent) in his last two games, including just 1-of-11 from three-point range. Barber, meanwhile, is just two games removed from a 34-point explosion against Pitt in the ACC tournament.
NC State is a guard-oriented – and in turn, perimeter-oriented – offense, which can lead to bouts of inconsistency. But when the Wolfpack are on, they have enough firepower in guards Lacey, Barber and Ralston Turner (13.2 points per game) to bring down the very best teams. They famously beat Duke at home and lost to North Carolina and Notre Dame by a total of five points during ACC play. They also defeated Louisville and UNC on the road.
But the key for NC State will be how it can prevent Villanova’s offense – ranked No. 4 in adjusted offensive efficiency – from scoring at will. The Wolfpack have a terrific shot blocker in Anya, who averages 2.6 blocks in just 19 minutes per game. Their best shot could be for Anya and the Wolfpack bigs to dissuade any Villanova shots in the paint, and contest hard on the perimeter. They executed that strategy pretty well against another ultra-efficient offense in Duke, as they limited the Blue Devils to 7-of-27 (26 percent) shooting from three in an 87-75 win.
Writer’s Prediction
Villanova comes away with another big double-digit victory against NC State. Create a betting account now and cash in on all of the tournament’s in-form teams.
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