No. 1 Baylor Favored to Block Villanova’s Path to Sweet 16

Baylor (24-2 SU, 16-10 ATS) and Villanova (18-6 SU, 14-10 ATS) head into their Sweet 16 clash Saturday coming off double-digit victories in the Round of 32. The No. 1 Bears dispatched the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers 76-63 while the No. 5 Wildcats ripped the No. 13 North Texas Mean Green 84-61.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Baylor Bears opened this matchup as a 5.5-point favorite against a Villanova squad that has covered the spread in both of its tournament games. The total opened at 131.5 and has shot up to the 139 mark.

Villanova News & Notes

Despite battling some first-half adversity in both games, the Wildcats knocked off the Winthrop Eagles 73-63 in their opener before thrashing North Texas on Sunday. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led the way with 18 points in the victory over the Mean Green and Jermaine Samuels and Justin Moore netted 15 each.

Villanova now faces its toughest opponent of the season and will do so without star guard Collin Gillespie. The senior’s injury absence has not plagued the Wildcats yet, but the length of the Baylor guards will no doubt create issues here for Villanova.

The Wildcats ranked outside the top 200 in defensive field-goal percentage during the regular season. At the other end, they were 71st in the country in points per game and a disappointing 240th in offensive rebounding.

Baylor News & Notes

The South Region’s top seed, the Bears whipped the Hartford Hawks 79-55 in the Round of 64 and then handled Wisconsin on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16. Matthew Mayer had 17 points off the bench in the win over the Badgers while Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell chipped in with 16 apiece.

Butler averages just shy of 17 points per game and shoots an impressive 42 percent from beyond the arc for a disciplined and seasoned squad with a starting lineup comprised entirely of upperclassmen.

Baylor was tops in the nation in long-distance marksmanship, shooting 41.5 percent as a team from three-point range, and ranks fourth by averaging 83.8 points per game.

Betting Pick: Baylor -5.5

Villanova has turned in two gritty performances without Collin Gillespie, but they were against No. 12 and No. 13 seeds. Baylor could break this one open early and will likely dominate from start to finish.