The Villanova Wildcats are a perfect 4-0 straight up and against the spread in NCAA Tournament play this season. The Wildcats will try to overcome another tough test this Saturday when they clash with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Villanova vs. Oklahoma odds, Final Four 2016: Sooners underdogs vs. Wildcats
Favored Villanova’s stingy defense faces a tough test against Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield in the Final Four.
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Villanova is a 2-point betting favorite in this Final Four matchup at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. When these two teams met back on December 7, Villanova was a 5-point favorite, but Oklahoma won the game 78-55.
The No. 2 Wildcats were one of the best teams in the nation all season long. But with recent seasons ending in heartbreak in March and a loss to Seton Hall in the Big East championship capping off a 2-6 ATS skid to enter the postseason, some were overlooking Villanova coming into the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova, though, has rewarded its backers with a 4-0 ATS run through March Madness, including an outstanding defensive effort in its 64-59 upset over No. 1 Kansas. The Wildcats’ combination of dangerous offense and stingy defense have established Villanova as a legitimate title contender here in 2016.
In their last eight games as a favorite of two points or less, the Wildcats are 7-1 SU and ATS per the OddsShark College Basketball Database. Oklahoma is 2-5 SU and ATS in its last five games as an underdog of two points or less.
As the tournament has gone on, the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners have continued to get stronger. Oklahoma broke out of an 0-7 ATS slump with a convincing 77-63 win over No. 3 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, and followed that up with another dominant performance in an 80-68 win over No. 1 Oregon.
Buddy Hield shot 8-for-13 from behind the arc against the Ducks, racking up 37 points to bring his tournament average up to 29.3 points per game. The Sooners are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with winning records.
Saturday’s total is set at 145 points. The UNDER is 12-2 in Oklahoma’s last 14 games and 3-2 in Villanova’s last five.
Both Oklahoma and Villanova topped No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight to advance to this point, and now both are one win away from a shot at the championship. This one could easily go either way, likely hindering on how well the Wildcats shoot from three-point range and whether or not they can find a way to contain Buddy Hield.
