The Villanova Wildcats are a common choice in March Madness brackets to win the championship, and their opening round result did nothing to dissuade that idea. The No. 1 seeded Wildcats cruised in their first round matchup against Radford and hope to pick up another easy win in the Round of 32 against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
This is a tougher game, of course, but Villanova is such a juggernaut that it will be a sizable favorite. The No. 8 seed Crimson Tide pulled out a nice win over Virginia Tech to begin March Madness and would have one of the biggest upsets thus far if they manage to knock off the powerful Wildcats.
Villanova is hoping to avoid any drama and maintain a lead throughout in March Madness basketball betting odds.
Don't miss the hardwood action from PPG Paints Arena at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on CBS.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Villanova has gone 31-4 straight up and 22-12-1 against the spread. The Wildcats are 7-2-1 against the spread on neutral courts this season. Villanova has been favored in every game this season and that won’t change in this game or possibly any the rest of the way.
Alabama is 20-15 straight up and 19-15 against the spread. The Crimson Tide has played in nine neutral site game this year and covered in five of them. Alabama is 10-8 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Last Time Out
Alabama was in a close one in the first round and was able to outlast Virginia Tech, 86-83. The Crimson Tide trailed by two points at the half but played well after intermission to secure the win. Both teams shot extremely well in the game, as Alabama connected on 60 percent of its field goals and 44.4 percent of its three-point shots. Virginia Tech shot 55.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.
Villanova has a strong defense, but if Alabama is able to shoot efficiently like this again it will not only cover but could even put a legitimate scare into the Wildcats.
Villanova downed Radford by a score of 87-62. It led by 21 points at the half as the outcome was never in doubt. The Wildcats were led by Jalen Brunson, who had 16 points on 7-of-9 from the field. He was one of six players on the team to score in double figures. Villanova shot 59 percent in the game and held Radford to just 20-of-59 from the floor.
Player To Watch
Collin Sexton — Villanova has a great majority of the top players on the court, but the Alabama guard may be the most talented of them all. The Crimson Tide standout freshman is averaging 19.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range.
Sexton flexed his muscle in the opening round, scoring 25 points and adding six assists against Virginia Tech. He has been really good of late, scoring at least 21 points in each of his past five games, including 31 in a win over a ranked Auburn team.
Sexton needs to play well for his team to have a shot at knocking off Villanova.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
There isn’t a team in the country that can slow down the Wildcats when they are rolling. Villanova should not have much trouble in this one. Keep an eye on where the spread checks in at, but the Wildcats seem like the right pick to both win outright and cover in NCAAB basketball betting odds.
NCAA Odds: Villanova 77, Alabama 68
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