Houston vs. Villanova Bracket Prediction: March Madness Elite Eight Odds
After plenty of upsets through the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament, we’re down to the Elite Eight, which kicks off on Saturday night with the fifth-seeded Houston Cougars taking on the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats. This will be Houston’s second consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight. The Cougars got through UAB and Illinois in the first two rounds before knocking off No. 1 Arizona in the Sweet 16. This is the furthest Villanova has gone since winning the national championship in 2018. The Wildcats have cruised to this point with wins over Delaware, Ohio State and Michigan.
Houston has jumped to a 2.5-point favourite to win on the NCAA basketball odds after opening at -1.5. The total has held firm at 128.5.
Houston vs. Villanova NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Houston has covered the spread in all three games of the tournament up to this point, extending their record to 6-0 ATS on their current six-game winning streak. They’re 25-12 ATS for the year and 9-1 ATS over their last 10 games. The Cougars have scored at least 66 points in all of their games this season, but keep in mind the total has gone Under in two of three tournament games and eight of their last 10 overall. Houston is just 2-10 straight up in their last 12 games against Big East opponents.
Villanova has covered in their first three tournament games, bumping them to 19-15-2 ATS for the season. They’re riding an eight-game win streak and they’re a perfect 10-0 in their last 10 games against ACC opponents. The total has gone Under in five of the Wildcats’ last six games, including two of three in this tournament.
It’s worth noting that these two teams score an average 146.2 points per game, well over the current total of 128.5.
Houston Cougars (5)
Jamal Shead and Kyler Edwards led the way for Houston against Arizona on Thursday, as the Cougars bounced the tournament’s third No. 1 seed before the regional finals. Edwards, who averages a team-high 14.1 points per game, is a Texas Tech transfer. The senior put up 19 points and hit five three-pointers against Arizona, including a clutch trey with 1:26 remaining. Shead finished with a game-high 21 points and averages a team-high 5.9 assists.
Both these players are key to the Cougars’ success after the season ending injuries of Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. Through three tournament games, Shead is averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists, while Edwards is putting up just under 20 points per game. Houston is holding opponents to just 43.6 per cent shooting in effective field goal percentage.
Villanova Wildcats (2)
It was Jermaine Samuels’ turn to step up for Villanova against Michigan on Thursday, with the senior dropping a game-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He also nailed all five of his free throw attempts. The Wildcats are actually the best free throw shooting team in the nation, hitting 82.6 per cent of their chances. Samuels is averaging 18 points through three tournament games, while shooting 48.8 per cent from the floor and 50 per cent from beyond the arc.
You can also expect senior guard Collin Gillespie to be a big contributor on Saturday as the Villanova offence essentially runs through him. Gillespie had 12 points against Michigan and averages a team-high 15.9 ppg for the season. He’s a clutch shooter and he was also part of the Wildcats’ last national championship winning team in 2018.
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