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There is always the expectation that the top seeds in each of the regions won’t have any problems making it through the first couple of rounds of the tournament, and while this is often the case, it is the upsets and surprises that make this tournament so special. Very often, we see the big teams move on in the early stages, but sometimes not without getting a scare that serves as a wake-up call. You look at this matchup and see it as an easy start for the Villanova Wildcats, who are in as the #2 seed, but stranger things have happened. There is no doubt that the Blue Hens are in over their heads, starting this one as a 15-point underdog, but the pressure is basically off them at this point. The bookies have the O/U for this one set at 133 ½. With that in mind, let’s take a look at both teams and how they arrive in this Delaware vs Villanova matchup so you can bet against their March Madness Odds.

March Madness First Round Betting Preview for Delaware vs Villanova

#15 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens versus #2 Villanova Wildcats Match Info

When: Friday, March 18 at 2:45 PM EST
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
TV: CBS

Why bet on the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens

It was a strange kind of season for Delaware, who basically struggled to get to 10-8 in conference play before going on a run and winning the CAA Tournament Championship. That’s the sort of run that will give a team a ton of confidence heading into the tournament, even though they have one of the toughest matchups in the opening round. Confident or not, the Blue Hens will almost certainly be aware that they are 0-10 SU in their meetings with Villanova, losing those outings by an average of 18 PPG. Looking at their last 9 versus the Wildcats, Delaware is 3-6 ATS, but they are also 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games starting as the underdog. The UNDER has hit in 8 of their last 10, as well as in 4 of their last 5 games played in the month of March.

Why bet on the Villanova Wildcats

While there are all different personnel on the court for Villanova now, this is a program that knows how to win, as they have won 2 National Championships since 2016. That is just one of the reasons why a lot of bettors fancy the chances of Villanova making another deep run. That said, they have to be focused from the start, even in games that they should be able to win without too many problems. The Wildcats finished behind Providence in the Big East regular season standings, but they upped their game and won the Conference Tournament, so they have to be coming into March Madness on a bit of a high. If there is a concern, it’s that they are just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games starting as the favorite. 4 of the last 6 meetings between these two teams have gone OVER.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I’m not really a fan of the bigger point spread games, but if I did have to make a pick here, I would take Villanova to win and cover the spread. That said, the pick that I really like here is the OVER.

Pick: Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 61 Villanova Wildcats 78