The Villanova Wildcats will open up the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with an easy matchup, facing off against the winner of the LIU Brooklyn-Radford play-in game. No matter which No. 16 seed advances, Villanova will be a heavy favorite to come away with the win.
Villanova has been made the favorite to win all of March Madness, so obviously no one is expecting it to have a tough time in this one. The Wildcats have been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball all season long.
Radford could be the team that advances to play Villanova as it had a stronger regular season than LIU Brooklyn. Villanova will eventually get challenged by better teams in this tournament but should have no problem cruising in its opener. The bigger question will be if it can cover what should be a substantial NCAA basketball spread in the first round of March Madness.
Don't miss the hardwood action from PPG Paints Arena at 6:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
LIU-Brooklyn is just 18-16 overall but won its conference tournament to secure an automatic berth. It is 10-13-1 against the spread this season. It has covered in five of 11 attempts as the underdog. LIU-Brooklyn has played on a neutral court twice this season and didn’t cover the NCAA basketball spread in either of those matchups.
Radford is 22-12 straight up and 7-8 against the spread on the season. It has covered in one out of three attempts on a neutral court. Radford has gone 5-3 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Villanova is 30-4 straight up and 21-12-1 against the spread. The Wildcats have a lot of experience on neutral courts, playing in nine games there. They are 6-2-1 attempting to cover in those games. Villanova has been favored in every game this season and may not be the underdog in any game in this tournament, either.
Player To Watch
Jalen Brunson -- Either Radford or LIU-Brooklyn is going to have a tough guard slowing down any of Villanova’s deep and talented starters, but especially the junior guard. Brunson has been one of the best players in the country this season. He leads the Wildcats in scoring at 19.3 points per game while adding 4.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
Brunson is shooting 53.1 percent from the field, a very impressive mark for a guard. He is shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range as well, making it hard for teams to stop him when Brunson gets going.
Villanova has six players that are averaging in double figures, so any number of players have the ability to step up in this opening-round game. But Brunson is the most likely one to do so as he has consistently dominated the opposition this season.
Key Stat
21. That’s the percentage chance given to Villanova to win the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s computer metrics, which is second-best behind Virginia. The oddsmakers like the WIldcats’ chances better, instituting them as the favorites.
While teams like Virginia, Duke, Purdue, Michigan State and Cincinnati may all be in the mix, Villanova will be a lot of people’s picks to win it all, especially because it has gotten what many people believe to be a favorable draw. This first game is a mere formality as the Wildcats are going to be favored in double-digits no matter which team advances from the First Four in March Madness basketball.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
LIU-Brooklyn barely finished above .500 against a schedule of lower-tier teams but was able to catch fire in its conference tournament to earn an unlikely berth. If LIU-Brooklyn finds a way to beat Radford, Villanova could put the game away in the first half.
If Radford advances, it may hang around just a little bit longer but will still be outclassed. Villanova is going to cruise to the win in the first round. The spread will be tricky, though, because it could depend on how the team’s reserves play in the final minutes.
NCAA Odds: Villanova 81, Radford 59
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
