Houston vs. Villanova picks, predictions, odds: Who wins Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game?
No. 5 seed Houston and No. 2 seed Villanova face off on Saturday in an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game.
The game is scheduled for 3:09 p.m. MST and can be seen on TBS.
Who will win the game and advance to the Final Four?
Check out these odds, picks and predictions for the contest.
Houston is a 2.5-point favorite in the game.
It is -155 on the money line and Villanova is +125.
The over/under for the game is set at 127.5 points.
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight picks, predictions, odds
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on TV: How to watch
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Sports Chat Place: Take Houston to cover vs. Villanova
Brett Nault writes: "Villanova is a great team, however, we have seen the offensive at times be inconsistent this season, especially if the three-pointer isn’t falling. Houston has arguably had the best defense in College Basketball this season and between the fact that the Cougars have looked unstoppable so far in the NCAA Tournament and that I think Villanova is going to struggle to put up points in this one, I’m taking Houston to cover this small spread."
Odds Shark: Houston 70, Villanova 65.7
The site predictions that Houston will win and cover the spread. It has the total going over.
More: March Madness odds: Kansas, Houston, Duke new favorites in 2022 men's NCAA Tournament
Stat Salt: Take Houston to cover vs. Villanova
Bosun Akinpelu writes: "The Cougars have won 12 of their last 13 games. They have done a good job offensively, scoring more than 75 points per game while making 47 percent of their shots. They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country and they did a great job on the offensive glass in their last three games, grabbing more than 12 offensive boards per game, which will give them a lot of second-chance opportunities. They also did a great job protecting the ball, turning it over less than nine times per game, and won’t give the Wildcats a lot of easy scoring opportunities. Even though the Wildcats have played well defensively in this tournament, they haven’t faced an offense as good as Houston’s and will have a hard time slowing down the Cougars. The Wildcats usually play well offensively, but they haven’t played as well in the tournament, scoring less than 70 points per game while making only 42 percent of their shots. They don’t rebound the ball as well as the Cougars and won’t get a lot of extra scoring opportunities against them. The Cougars are third in the country in defensive efficiency and they’ve given up more than 60 points only once in their last four games, so expect them to keep Villanova’s offense in check. Go with Houston to cover the spread."
Sportsbook Wire: Both Houston, Villanova have fared well against the spread
It writes: "The Cougars average 11 more points per game (73.7) than the Wildcats give up (62.7). Houston has a 19-10 record against the spread and a 26-3 record overall when putting up more than 62.7 points. Villanova has a 12-6-2 record against the spread and an 18-3 record overall when allowing fewer than 73.7 points."
More: NCAA Tournament schedule, TV information: How to watch 2022 men's March Madness games
Number Fire: Houston has a 54.5% win probability
The site has the Cougars as a favorite over the Villanova Wildcats in the Elite Eight.
ESPN: Houston has a 65.2% chance to win
The site's Basketball Power Index gives Villanova a 34.8% chance to win the game.
More: NCAA Tournament odds: Money lines, point spreads, over/unders for March Madness games
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Houston vs. Villanova picks, predictions, odds NCAA Tournament game
