The Oklahoma Sooners represented the Big 12 well in the first round at the expense of another SEC team. Up ahead for them is a matchup with No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers, who have seemingly exorcised the spirit of last year’s traumatic experience.See the latest odds for Oklahoma, Virginia and other teams to win the national title this year here.
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Betting Preview for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Virginia Cavaliers College Basketball Game on March 24, 2019
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia
When: Sunday, March 24, 2019
Line: Oklahoma Sooners (+11) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (-11) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (20-13 Overall / 7-11 Conference)
The Sooners reserved a spot in the second round of March Madness by scoring a mild upset over the Ole Miss Rebels on Friday, 95-72. The Sooners caught fire from the field, as they shot 57.6 percent and went 6-for-13 from deep. Chris James and Rashard Odomes both scored 20 points, but the two also got ample help from the likes of Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek, who chipped in 19 and 18 points, respectively. It’s fair to expect that Oklahoma won’t have much success shooting the ball and finding the basket on Sunday against Virginia’s defense, but at least they have built some confidence in their ability to get buckets. Also, the Sooners have done an impressive job of taking care of the ball in the Ole Miss game, as they only turned the ball over four times. Maximizing their possessions and winning the rebounding battle are huge keys to success for Oklahoma against Virginia.
Oklahoma is 3-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games, and is 20-10-3 ATS overall this season, covering 66.7% of the time.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (30-3 Overall / 16-2 Conference)
Virginia did not embarrass itself this time around. A year after melting in the first round as a No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers made sure they were not going to suffer the same fate by defeating the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, 71-56, on Friday. They found themselves trailing the Bulldogs at the half by six points, but turned the heat on in the second half. Virginia played like a true national title contender in the final 20 minutes of the ball game, outscoring the Bulldogs over that stretch, 41-20. De’Andre Hunter spearheaded Virginia with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field with six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Mamadi Diakite provided spark off the bench, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Hopefully for the Cavs, that win was enough for them to shake the jitters of last year’s debacle. Their defense will have to be at its best against Oklahoma after letting Gardner-Webb shoot 39.1 percent from deep. Virginia finished the regular season tops in the nation with just 55.1 points allowed per game.
Virginia is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 70-59.
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