Houston vs Villanova prediction: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 pick and college basketball game preview.
Houston vs Villanova Game Preview, How To Watch
Date: Saturday, March 26
Game Time: 6:09 pm
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
How To Watch: TBS
Records: Houston (5 seed, 32-5)
Villanova (2 seed, 29-7)
Region: South
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Why Villanova Will Win
A veteran team full of upperclassmen who make a whole lot of shots in key spots, is 12th in the nation in fewest turnovers, and leads all of college basketball on the free throw line.
That’s what you want in this NCAA Tournament thing.
It’s not even that Villanova is that amazing at shooting. It’s that is always, always, always finds a way to come up with the timely points when it needs to. More than that, again, the team doesn’t turn it over to give up easy chances.
The Wildcats turned it over six times in the win over Michigan and nine times in the win over Ohio State. It hasn’t turned it over more than ten times in a game since March 10th.
Arizona came into the NCAA Tournament playing as well as anyone, was sloppy from the first tip against Wright State, was sloppy against TCU, and it seemed like the team should’ve worked out the kinks before Thursday night, and it was sloppy and totally intimidated by Houston in the loss.
Villanova won’t be intimidated by Houston, and it won’t be sloppy.
The Villanova version of the Wildcats aren’t going to have a problem getting up and down the floor against Houston, but more than that, it’ll set up the open shots far better than Arizona did, it’ll be way better on the free throw line, and …
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Why Houston Will Win
Houston will own the offensive glass.
This is a banged up team that’s supposed to be missing its scoring punch without Marcus Sasser thanks to his foot injury, but the best conditioned team in the tournament – if it’s not, it sure as shoot plays like it – simply turned up the defensive pressure, did a better job of getting to the glass, and others have stepped ip.
It’s also been a huge help that the offensive rebounds are coming in bunches.
Almost no one out rebounds Arizona, but the Cougars were +2 with ten offensive rebounds sucking the life out of the Wildcats on seemingly every key possession.
Always active, Houston has come up with ten or more offensive rebounds in each of the last five games, and it’s now 25-1 when coming up with ten or more.
Villanova has allowed 11 or more offensive boards in four of its last five games – Delaware the outlier – and …
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Houston vs Villanova: What’s Going To Happen
Houston is going to be a bear on the threes.
Villanova is fine at working around a lack of size at times, but it’s about to deal with a relatively smallish team that can really, really move, and really, really play defense.
The Cougars play like they have six guys on defense.
No. 1 in the nation in field goal defense, No. 11 at guarding the three, and No. 2 in the nation in total rebounds, this – even more than Arizona – is the exact wrong team for Villanova unless it goes lights out from three.
Houston will keep that from happening.
– 25 Worst College Football/Basketball Schools of 2021-2022
Houston vs Villanova Prediction: NCAA Tournament Elite 8, Lines
Prediction: Houston 67, Villanova 64
Line: Houston -2, o/u: 128
ATS Confidence out of 5:3
Houston vs Villanova Must See Rating: 4.5
5: North Macedonia
1: Italy
– NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews
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