Two major programs will meet in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as Ohio State and Villanova clash in Pittsburgh. Despite this game being held in Villanova’s home state of Pittsburgh, Ohio is close enough to where both teams should have some fan representation at this matchup. In our March Madness betting picks, we look at Ohio State vs Villanova with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
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Ohio State vs Villanova Betting Pick
This game will be played at 2:40 PM ET at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, March 20, 2022.
Why Bet On Villanova:
✅ EJ Liddell will not be able to get his shots as easily against Villanova as he did against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers. Villanova has better athletes and can play a more physical brand of basketball to prevent Liddell from getting vertical with his shot with the same ease he enjoyed in the first round, with that verticality making Liddell’s shot very hard to block.
✅ Ohio State benefited from some truly awful three-point shooting against Loyola Chicago in the first round. Here, they will not be able to do the same, as the Villanova Wildcats are one of the better three-point shooting teams in the country. That will pose a problem for an Ohio State team that struggled down the stretch in the Big Ten.
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✅ Villanova has been locked in defensively lately, holding each of their last five opponents to 65 or fewer points. Expect that to continue here, as they should be able to keep an Ohio State team that lacks depth in check. Villanova averages six steals per game, and will get into passing lanes to get Ohio State out of rhythm.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes cruised to victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, beating Loyola Chicago in a game where the Ramblers could not get going offensively. The Buckeyes held the Ramblers under 30% from the field in the first round, something that will be tougher to accomplish against Villanova. Either way, the Buckeyes will need to shoot the ball better if they want to advance to the Sweet 16.
Ohio State made just one of its 15 three-point shot attempts against Loyola Chicago in the first round. That kind of number is unlikely to be replicated in the first round, but the Buckeyes will need to stretch the Villanova defense to make Liddell’s life easier if they want to beat the two-seed in their region.
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova took care of business in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Delaware, beating the Blue Hens by 20 to get to the second round. The Wildcats did not have the same problems shooting the ball that Ohio State had, as Villanova shot 46% from three-point range. Here, they will need to hold off an Ohio State team that has plenty of experience against top-tier competition.
Against Delaware, all five starters for Villanova shot over 50% from the field. Against Ohio State, that is unlikely to happen again, but the three-point shooting of Villanova will be as important as ever for a Villanova team that does the bulk of its damage from long distance. There is a fine line between relying on the three-point shot and forcing threes, and Villanova will need to remain on the right side of that line.
