The last time we saw the Villanova Wildcats tip off against the Michigan Wolverines, it was Villanova being crowned as the 2018 national champions with a 79-62 triumph in April. Both teams head into this Gavitt Tipoff Game with perfect 2-0 records and the Wildcats are a 7-point favorite in tonight’s game with the total Sportsbook at 140 points.
- The total has gone UNDER in Michigan’s last five games (avg. combined score: 115.8).
- Michigan is 1-4 SU and ATS in its last five games vs the Big East.
- Villanova is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games as favorite.
Michigan vs Villanova Game Center
Wolverines’ shooting struggles continue
Michigan has jumped out to a 2-0 start to the season with back-to-back home victories and now hits the road for the first time. Despite beginning the year with two straight wins, Michigan is 0-2 ATS, failing to cover against weaker squads Norfolk State and Holy Cross. The defense has been strong for the Wolverines, holding their opponents to fewer than 50 points in each game (44 for Norfolk State, 37 for Holy Cross), but their offense has been downright awful.
Michigan is shooting just 36.4 percent from the floor and just 20 percent from beyond the arc. A strong area for the Wolverines thus far has been their ball possession, though. They had just 12 turnovers in their season-Sportsbook game and followed that up with just nine turnovers in their last game.
The Wildcats are flexing their muscles early
Villanova has won two of the last three national championships and once again it has a team poised to be in the conversation. The Wildcats are playing the third contest in their season-Sportsbook four-game homestand at their new on-campus stadium and are a perfect 2-0 through the first two outings. Much like last year, they are doing a good job shooting the ball from beyond the arc, hitting 34.8 percent of their 69 attempts through their first two matches.
Meanwhile, they are hitting 48.9 percent from the floor overall and have scored an average of 93 points through the first two games. Defensively, Villanova has done a good job protecting the rim, outrebounding opponents 95-59, including ripping 59 defensive rebounds while limiting its opponents to just 20 offensive rebounds. Lastly, much like Michigan, the Wildcats do a good job limiting turnovers, giving the ball away just 25 times through the first two games.
UNDER trending for tonight’s game
Villanova and Michigan have gone UNDER in their last two meetings and Sportsbook has tonight’s total Sportsbook at 140 points. Meanwhile, Michigan has gone UNDER through its first two games, and Villanova has split its first two matches with its most recent contest going UNDER. Last year’s national championship game went UNDER with a total combined score of 141. Lastly, the total has gone UNDER in seven of Michigan’s last eight games dating back to last season, with an average combined score of 109.63.
My take on Michigan vs Villanova
I like Villanova to cover the 7-point spread in tonight’s game. Michigan is 1-4 SU and ATS in its last five games against Big East opponents, including last year’s national championship when Villanova was a 7-point favorite and won by 17. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games when they are a favorite. Lastly, much like last season, the Wolverines are having a hard time shooting the ball and you can’t afford to be missing many shots against the Wildcats, who are shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and nearly 35 percent from the three-point line.
