West Virginia (5) vs. Villanova (1) Odds: March Madness Sweet 16 Prediction
While the NCAA Tournament’s South Region has been blown up by upsets, the East Region has gone mostly to form. The first game in the region Friday night is top-seeded Villanova of the Big East against No. 5 West Virginia of the Big 12 with the winner facing either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 2 Purdue in the Elite Eight.
NCAA Tournament Odds and Betting Analysis
It’s West Virginia’s second straight trip to the Sweet 16; last year it was a No. 4 seed in the West and lost to No. 1 Gonzaga 61-58. WVU had three different shots in the final seconds to tie the game. It hit just 26.7 percent for the game but led by 58-55 with 1:47 to go. The last time the school advanced past this round was in 2010 when it beat Washington by 13 in the regional semifinal and then Kentucky in the regional final before falling to Duke in the Final Four.
Villanova, the Sports Interaction second-favourite at +350 to win it all (-152 for region), was last in the Sweet 16 in 2016 when it crushed Miami (Fla.) 92-69 and would go on to win the school’s second national championship. That’s the only time this decade the Wildcats had reached this round.
WVU used to be a member of the Big East so these schools have history. Villanova leads the series 22-20 but lost the last matchup on Dec. 28, 2011, in Morgantown. West Virginia is +400 to win the region.
West Virginia Mountaineers
No matter what happens the rest of the tournament, at least the Mountaineers (26-10) can claim state bragging rights as they advanced with an easy 94-71 win over No. 13 Marshall on Sunday after previously handling No. 12 Murray State by 17 in Round 1. WVU took control against the Thundering Herd with a 19-0 first-half run. Jevon Carter had 28 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds. The senior guard joined the best player in school history, Jerry West (whom the NBA logo is modeled after), as the only Mountaineers with four career 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament. West had eight of them. West Virginia is one of four Big 12 schools still standing and could play in an all-Big 12 regional final with an upset and Texas Tech also upsetting Purdue in Friday’s second game. The Mountaineers haven’t played a Big East team this season.
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova (32-4) is one of just two No. 1 seeds still standing along with Kansas in the Midwest Region. The East and Midwest face off in the Final Four so we are assured it won’t be an all top-seeded national championship game. The Wildcats haven’t been threatened in this tournament, beating No. 16 Radford 87-61 and then No. 9 Alabama on Saturday, 81-58. Mikal Bridges had 23 points vs. the Tide, helping make up for a bit of a weak game from Big East Player of the Year Jalen Brunson (12 points). Brunson and WVU’s Carter played for the same AAU team in Chicago. Villanova has hit 31 combined 3-pointers in the two wins, the second most over a two-game stretch in NCAA Tournament history.
