I can’t wait for the Saturday evening slate to tip-off in the West Region when the No. 13 seed Ohio Bobcats look to pull the upset against the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers! Believe it when I tell you that Jason Preston and his mates have the wherewithal to not only cover what I believe to be an inflated number, but also cash in on the moneyline and log one of the bigger upsets of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at online sportsbooks. As efficient UVA’s defense has been this season, it’s far from the lock down unit Tony Bennett’s kids utilized to cut the nets down a few years back. That spells trouble right out of the chute as readily able the Bobcats are at firing from the perimeter and taking the ball to the rack. On top of that, the Wahoos haven’t been able to log much of any practice time because of bowing out of the ACC Tournament due to positive COVID tests. It all adds up to one heck of a matchup that you’ll most definitely want to have the points in your back pocket for!
Tune into truTV to take this battle in live at 7:15 p.m. ET from Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, March 20, 2021. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game set to go down on Saturday’s NCAA Tournament slate.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ohio Bobcats +7.5
Virginia Cavaliers -7.5
Over/Under 132.5
Odds Analysis
The secret is out folks. Sharp and novice bettors are all over the Bobcats like white on rice! This puppy opened with Virginia installed laughable 10.5-point favorites and the total set at 132. The number to beat has already been bet down three full points to -7.5, and it might not be done heading south with heavy juice still attached to Ohio at that impost. A whopping 97 percent of the tickets and 98 percent of the money has already filtered in on the underdog! The total has dropped a half-point at most places, but it’s up a half-point to 132.5 here with the threat of Ohio’s excelled 3-point shooting likely playing a major role.
Ohio Bobcats
Of all the No. 13 seeds, the Bobcats possess by far the best offense and that’s something that will no doubt keep Bennett up at night heading into this matchup. Having already been bounced from the opening round three year’s back as decided favorites, the Bobcats will attempt to pull off the same type of feat by way of launching from deep every chance it gets. From an offensive efficiency standpoint, Ohio clocks in at No. 29 and it rates out as the 56th best 3-point shooting team in the country. Led by Preston’s 36.2 percent success rate from deep, three other starters are draining their trifectas at better than a 34 percent clip. That spells trouble for a Wahoos defense that’s allowed a 34 percent success rate from beyond the arc (No. 183).
Virginia Cavaliers
As Sam Hauser and Jay Huff go, so too go the 2020-21 Virginia Cavaliers. Sprinkle in a bit of Kihei Clark and Trey Murphy, and you primarily got UVA’s entire body of work blanketed when it comes to offensive production. The offense is undoubtedly efficient with it entering this tilt ranked No. 12 overall at KenPom. However, when the 3-balls aren’t dropping and Huff gets into foul trouble, issues arise for a Virginia attack that’s quite a few pegs down from what the championship team brought to the table. Then there’s the defense that just allowed Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim wreck it for 31 points on 10 of 17 shooting which included a 5 of 8 effort from beyond the arc. Virginia is going to have its work cut out for it on Saturday night.
Ohio vs. Virginia Prediction
The Cavaliers find themselves in a very tough spot against a Bobcats team that I truly believe has the goods to make a Sweet 16 appearance and give the Zags a run for their money. It has the guard play to penetrate for kick outs that the team took full advantage of throughout its run to cut the nets down in the MAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. It’s also got the shooters to cash in on those wide open looks with Preston and company converting at 50, 36 and 53 percent clips en route to punching their ticket to the dance. Virginia hasn’t gotten much of any practice time in to account for the type of opponent they’ll run up against in this one. I suspect Ohio takes full advantage to not only cover the number, but possibly win the game outright. That +295 moneyline ticket sure looks tasty with a team currently firing on all cylinders!
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