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Andrew Rogers
Villanova (1) vs. Texas Tech (3) Odd: March Madness Elite 8 Prediction
While the left side of your NCAA Tournament bracket probably looks like chopped liver, the right side features plenty of star power as the Villanova Wildcats and the Texas Tech Red Raiders prepare to decide the East Region title Sunday night in Boston. Villanova used dead-eye 3-point shooting to roll past the West Virginia Mountaineers 90-78 on Friday night, while the Red Raiders relied on more stingy defence to subdue the Purdue Boilermakers 78-65.
NCAA Tournament Odds and Betting Analysis
The Wildcats have the largest edge of any of the favoured teams in the Elite Eight, and with good reason: they’re the only team to have won all three games by double digits, while their 20.3-point average margin of victory is the best of any of the eight remaining teams. Not only that, but Villanova has been one of the best cover teams, going 6-1 ATS in its previous seven games overall while covering nine of its 11 NCAA Tournament contests.
By comparison, Texas Tech has been a dreadful cover option despite reaching the Elite Eight for the first time ever; the Red Raiders are just 2-7-1 ATS in their previous 10 outings, and have failed to cover in any of their previous four games against Big East opponents. Texas Tech has also gone below the total in five of its past six games vs. the Big East, while Villanova is 21-8 O/U in its last 29 games and has six overs in its past eight non-conference contests.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Neutral-site contests haven’t been nearly as lucrative for the Red Raiders – they’ve covered just 15 of their previous 52 – but they’re playing the kind of airtight defence that could reward those who put their faith in them. And they were at their disciplined best in their Sweet 16 triumph over the Tigers, putting Clemson on the free-throw line just six times while shooting 17-of-18 from the line themselves. Texas Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a successful cover.
Villanova Wildcats
Everybody knows how the Wildcats do business on the offensive end – they take a lot of 3s, and they make a lot of 3s. Villanova went an incredible 14-of-23 from beyond the arc in the win over the Mountaineers and ranks 10th in the nation in long-range shooting at 40.5 percent. That kind of shooting makes it easy to dominate just about anywhere – and the Wildcats do that, having successfully covered in 20 of their previous 28 neutral-site games.
