The second-seeded Villanova Wildcats will look to pull off the upset over the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks when the two national title hopefuls square off on Saturday in a prime time Elite Eight showdown whose winner could very well bag this year’s national championship. Thanks to this expert preview, you’re going to get the inside scoop on both ballclubs as they attempt to take the next step toward bagging the 2016 national championship hardware. Find out the latest NCAAB betting lines soon.
March Madness Villanova Wildcats vs Kansas Jayhawks Betting Guide
When: 8:49 PM ET, Saturday, March 26, 2016 Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky TV: CBS Live Stream: March Madness Live Line: TBA Total: TBAWhy Bet the Villanova Wildcats
Villanova (32-5, 18-17-1 ATS, 19-16 O/U) pounded UNCA 86-56 in the first round, followed by another fairly easy 87-68 win over Iowa after that. However, it is Villanova’s 92-69 smackdown of No. 3 Miami in their Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday that has really opened eyes. The Wildcats shot an insane 62.7 percent from the field in the win and an even more mind-boggling 66.7 percent from beyond the arc (10-for-15). Villanova placed four players in double digits in scoring and got a team-high 21 points apiece from Kris Jenkins and Ryan Arcidiacono in the win while out-rebounding the Hurricanes by 10. Jenkins made five of six three pointers while Arcidiacono drained four of seven from beyond the arc. The Wildcats also made a near-perfect 18 of 19 free throw attempts in the win and never trailed Miami at any point. The Wildcats are ranked 57th in the nation in scoring (77.9 ppg) and a stellar 27th in field goal shooting percentage (47.8%). Defensively the Wildcats are solid, allowing just 63.8 points per game to rank a stupendous 15th overall while limiting their opponents to just 40.4% shooting from the field (36th). Villanova gets a team-high 15.4 points per game from guard Josh Hart while Jenkins averages 13.5 points per outing and Arcidiacono, 12.3 points per contest.- Wildcats are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game.
- Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games.
- Wildcats are 35-16-2 ATS in their last 53 non-conference games.
- Wildcats are 38-18-1 ATS in their last 57 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games.
- Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big 12.
Why Bet the Kansas Jayhawks
Like their Elite Eight counterparts, Kansas (33-4, 24-11 ATS, 13-21 O/U) has also made it look easy so far, beating tiny Austin Peay 105-79 in the first round before getting past feisty UConn73-61 in the second round and Maryland 77-63 on Thursday night in the Sweet 16. The Jayhawks got a game-high 27 points from All-American forward Perry Ellis and 19 points from team leader Wayne Selden Jr. en route to the commanding victory. Kansas limited Maryland to just 40.0 percent shooting from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc while winning the rebounding battle by a whopping 15 boards. Kansas ranks 15th in the nation in scoring (81.9 ppg), a stellar fifth in field goal shooting percentage (49.6%) and third in three-point shooting (42.2%). Defensively, the Jayhawks give up an average of 67.7 points per game (72nd) though they do limit the opposition to just 39.7 percent shooting from the field (21st) and 32.2 percent shooting from downtown (64th).- Jayhawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.
- Jayhawks are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
- Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games.
- Jayhawks are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games following a ATS win.
- Jayhawks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.
- Jayhawks are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up win.
- Jayhawks are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 non-conference games.
