Sweet 16 Betting Preview:
NCAA Tournament March Madness Sweet 16 Picks and Predictions on this game between the Villanova Wildcats vs Baylor Bears. Tipoff is set for Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 5:15pm et at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Draftkings College Basketball odds have Baylor as a -7.5 point favorite. The over/under in this matchup is currently at 141.5 total points. 69% of the betting public has their money behind Villanova as the underdogs.
Villanova Wildcats come into this game at 18-6 overall after destroying North Texas 84-61 in the second round of the tournament . The Wildcats came out on fire and grabbed a 20 point first half lead. They ended up finishing 55% from the field and hitting an impressive 15 total 3-pointers on 50% shooting.
The Wildcats have Jay Wright at the helm and as you guys know, he’s still one of the best coaches in the country and he’ll have this team prepared even still without one of their top players, Collin Gillespie. Gillespie averaged 14 points per game before getting injured in the first week of March. The good news is that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has picked up that slack and averaging 19 points per game over the last 4 games.
Villanova will need to step up their shooting even more if they want any shot at the upset, this Baylor team can’t be compared to North Texas. The Wildcats offense on the road this season put up an average of 73.2 points per game, while on defense they give up an average of 68 points per game.
Villanova is 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference and the total has gone under in 13 of the Wildcats last 17 games played on a Saturday.
Baylor comes into this game as one of the top teams in the nation and their three point shooting has a lot to do with this success. Their 3-point field goal percentage is currently at 41.5%, which makes them the best in the country. They’ll be facing this Villanova team that is about average at defending the 3-pointer, so if Baylor can put up their normal stats, then most likely you’ll see them move onto the Elite 8. Last Sunday, they got the 76-63 second round win against the Wisconsin Badgers where they went 47% from 3-point land. In that game, Baylor played suffocating defense while only turning the ball over 4 times. Davion Mitchell, Matthew Mayer, and Jared Butler combined for 49 out of Baylor’s 76 points.
The Bears on the road this season have the seventh best offense in the nation that scores an average of 80.7 points per game, while also having a better than average defense who holds their opponents to an average of 67.3 points per game. Baylor is 11-1 straight up in their last 12 games against an opponent in the Big East conference and the total has gone over in 12 of the bears last 14 games this season.
In this game, we’re going to roll with Baylor First Half Team Total to go over the 34.5 points at the -120 price.
Another way to cash in big this Saturday is clicking here for free access to this Sweet 16 Parlay of the Day between Oral Roberts vs Arkansas. Get both the side and total picks in this game and let’s sweep this college basketball board.
