The Villanova Wildcats (17-6) take on the North Texas Mean Green (18-9) in a South Region second-round game Sunday night. The fifth-seeded Wildcats and 13th-seeded Mean Green will tip off at 8:45 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Villanova-North Texas odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
Villanova defeated Winthrop 73-63 in the first round Friday. Sophomore F Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 22 points and has 48 points in his last two games. The Wildcats had been on a downward trend since suffering some late-season injuries, dropping three of four games before the NCAA Tournament.
North Texas has played two overtime games in a row, winning both. The Mean Green upset fourth-seeded Purdue 78-69 in OT in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday. Prior to that victory, they needed an extra five minutes to knock off Western Kentucky 61-57 in the C-USA Tournament title game. Senior G Javion Hamlet has been feeling it for UNT. He scored 24 points against the Boilermakers and is averaging 20.1 PPG over his last eight contests.
Villanova vs. North Texas: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Villanova -250 (bet $250 to win $100) | North Texas +200 (bet $100 to win $200)
- Against the spread/ATS: Villanova -5.5 (-110) | North Texas +5.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 127.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Villanova vs. North Texas: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Villanova 65, North Texas 57
Money line (ML)
The Wildcats’ chances to do well in the Big Dance took a big hit when senior G Collin Gillespie went down with a season-ending knee injury March 3. But after a week of preparation – and perhaps clearing some head space after recent struggles – Villanova was sharp in dispatching Winthrop.
PASS on the money line, but look to pounce on any price move south of +285.
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Against the spread (ATS)
Villanova is 3-0-1 ATS over its last four games against teams playing .600 ball or better.
The Wildcats can leverage better intermediate defense, better handles on the ball, and what figures to be a nice advantage in producing from the foul line.
This also fits as a fade of a trendy underdog. Take a shot with VILLANOVA -5.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
Slow paces on both sides, and Villanova figures to chess-board the final five to seven minutes in a careful victory. Back the UNDER 127.5 (-110).
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