The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (33-7), 7-point underdogs, square off against the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats (35-4) in the National Championship at Alamodome. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 145 points and action begins at 9:20 p.m. ET on Monday, April 2, 2018.
Michigan Wolverines vs. Villanova Wildcats Betting Odds
Both teams were victorious over their last opponent. The Wildcats defeated the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks 95-79, while the Wolverines beat the No. 11 Loyola Chicago Ramblers 69-57.
Michigan played a nearly flawless game. They had a turnover percentage of 14.1 (worse than their season average of 12.5) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 29.7 (above their season average of 25.5). For those same stats, Loyola Chicago was 22.9 and 19.4, respectively. Meanwhile, Villanova’s 0.692 effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over Kansas, who had a mark of 0.508. The Wildcats’ mark was above their season average of 0.593, while the Jayhawks’ was below their season average of 0.577. Villanova was lifted by Omari Spellman, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Moritz Wagner had a solid performance for Michigan, finishing with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the high-powered offense of Villanova (first in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 124.0) takes on the top-notch defense of Michigan (13th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 95.4). Moreover, the Wolverines, who rank 301st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.203), will square off against the Wildcats, who rank 51st in opponents’ FTA rate (0.199).
Of the Wolverines’ 39 games that accepted bets, 20 have finished under the total. Michigan holds records of 33-7 straight up (SU) and 25-13-1 against the spread (ATS).
Wildcats games have a tendency to finish over the O/U total (65.8 percent). Further, Villanova owns records of 35-4 SU and 27-12 ATS.
Charles Matthews has taken his game to another level as of late for Michigan, averaging 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last five games.
Michigan Wolverines vs. Villanova Wildcats ATS Pick
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Michigan, ATS Winner – Michigan, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- Michigan ranks 13th in assists allowed per game (10.1) while Villanova ranks 162nd (13.5).
- The Wildcats rank 48th in blocks allowed per game (2.7) while the Wolverines rank 107th (3.1).
- Michigan is fourth in the NCAA with 4.2 steals allowed per game while Villanova is 13th with 4.8 steals allowed per game.
- The Wolverines rank seventh in three pointers allowed per game (16.2) while the Wildcats rank 142nd (21.4).
- Villanova ranks 131st in rebounds per game (35.9) while Michigan ranks 254th (33.5).
Bettings Trends:
- During their last five games, the Wildcats have scored an average of 84.8 points per game (2.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.0 points per game (3.4 below their season average).
- The Wolverines’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.6, up from 11.0 for the season.
