The No. 2 Villanova Wildcats will be up against the No. 7 Connecticut Huskies on Saturday as those schools meet on the hardwood in the Round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament, with UConn 2-8-2 ATS in its past dozen games against Villanova.
Villanova had no trouble beating Milwaukee in their Sportsbook game of the tournament, winning 73-53 in that Round of 64 contest on Thursday night. Connecticut pulled out an 89-81 win over St. Joseph's in their first game of the tourney.
Nova was favored by 3.5 points at Sportsbook in early wagering. The total opened at 126.5 over at Sportsbook but was bet six points higher.
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No. 2 seeds have won 10 straight vs 7 seeds, but UConn 6-2 ATS past eight tournament games. The UNDER is 13-2 in the past 15 UConn games, giving totals bettors an angle to consider.
UConn is just 2-8-2 ATS in its past 12 games vs Villanova, which is riding a 9-3 ATS streak in its past 12 games as favorites.
Odds Shark computer pick - 70.1-62.9 Wildcats
Villanova will face the 27-8 Huskies, who own a 17-14-2 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Wildcats are 18-12-1 on the OU so far this season while the Huskies are 11-22.
View Connecticut Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats Odds and Stats.
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 10-ranked Wildcats and the No. 190-rated Huskies in this matchup.
Connecticut was an 89-81 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Saint Joseph's. They covered the 5.5-point spread as favorites. The Huskies grabbed an 89-81 win over the Hawks on Thursday, behind a 24-point effort from Shabazz Napier at First Niagara Center.
Villanova was a 73-53 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Wisc-Milwaukee. They covered the 16.5-point spread as favorites. Villanova cruised to victory on Thursday, running Wisc-Milwaukee out of the gym and running up a 73-53 score at First Niagara Center.
How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Huskies rank No. 121 in NCAA Division 1 with 35.34 per game. That compares with Villanova’s No. 43 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Villanova is college basketball's No. 6-ranked team at 8.88 per game, while the Huskies rate No. 59 with 7.23 per game.
A few Huskies at Wildcats trends to consider:
Connecticut is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Connecticut's last 10 games
Connecticut is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Villanova
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Villanova
Villanova is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Villanova is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Villanova's last 7 games
Villanova is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Connecticut
