Houston Cougars vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/26/2022

Game Time: 6:09 pm ET, Saturday, March 26, 2022

Venue:  AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX 

Where to Watch:  TBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston -2.5, Villanova +2.5; Over/Under:  127.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston -2.5, Villanova +2.5; Over/Under:  128.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston -2.5, Villanova +2.5; Over/Under:  128.5 points

 

Houston Cougars:  32-5 (1st place, AAC)

Villanova Wildcats:  29-7 (2nd place, Big East)

 

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Houston Cougars:  5-0 last 5

Villanova Wildcats:  5-0 last 5

 

 

 

Houston is coming into this game with a 32-5 record overall and they are 9-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 12 of their last 13 games and are coming into this one on a 6 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Memphis Tigers while their 6 wins since then have come against the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Tulane Green Wave, Memphis, the UAB Blazers, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Arizona Wildcats in their last game. Jamal Shead led the team in points in that game with 21 while Kyler Edwards was next on the team with 19 points. Shead led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Josh Carlton both led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 46% from the field, 45% from 3-point range, and 68% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 59 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 25-12 this season and their O/U record is 16-21.

 

 

Villanova is coming into this game with a 29-7 record overall and they are 8-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 13 of their last 14 games and are coming into this one on an 8 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the UConn Huskies while their last 5 wins have come against the UConn Huskies, the Creighton Bluejays, the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Michigan Wolverines in their last game. Jermaine Samuels led the team in points in that game with 22 while Justin Moore was next on the team with 15 points. Moore led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Caleb Daniels off the bench led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 37.3% from the field, 30% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.7 PPG against them. Villanova has an ATS record of 19-15-2 this season and their O/U record is 17-18-1.

 

Houston is coming into this game as a 2.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has been playing very well in their recent games and they are coming into this game off of a win against the number 1 seed Arizona. They were in control of that entire game from start to finish as they took a 10 point lead very early in the game and finished with the 12 point win. Houston was very good on defense in that game but what was even better was their rebounding. They took over the game in that department and that will be a big reason why they win this game and advance here over Villanova. They are going up against a Villanova team that has also been playing very well winning 13 of their last 14 games but their recent games in this tourney have been a little too close for comfort. Villanova has struggled a little in their last 2 games, they beat Ohio State by 10 points and Michigan by 8 points but they struggled to pull away and take a firm lead in both of those games, allowing both teams to come back in each game multiple times after Villanova had built up sizable leads. Villanova has not played against any strong opponents either as they have faced 2 Big Ten teams in their last 2 games and the Big Ten did not produce many really good teams this season. Houston just took a number 1 seed down and they will have a lot of confidence from that game. They will also be trying to make it to the final four in back-to-back years so they will be all over this game trying to win it. Houston is the better team here and they will cover the spread in this game.

 

Houston Villanova Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 26, 2022 (6:09 pm ET start time) is Houston 74 Villanova 64.

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Houston Cougars: 25-12 ATS in all games. 40-22 ATS when the total is 120 to 129.5. 22-16 UNDER after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more.

Villanova Wildcats: 5-11 ATS in a neutral court game where the total is 120 to 129.5. 12-7 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 8-2 UNDER in all neutral court games.

 

 

Houston Cougars:  T. Mark (G) out for season - Shoulder injury. M. Sasser (G) out for season - Toe injury. K. Powell (C) out for season - Redshirt.

Villanova Wildcats:  J. Longino (G) out for season - Knee injury.

 

 

"Victories don't come with asterisks. It's not a beauty contest. I watched Arizona play. I watched them play UCLA. I watched them play Colorado. I watched the way those teams guarded them, and I knew we weren't going to guard them like those teams did. Those teams just switched them. They let them be comfortable. We were going to make them uncomfortable. It's what we do." - Kelvin Sampson on his team’s win against Arizona in the Sweet 16.

 

 

“We’re beat up. We’ve got to rest up. We can learn a little bit watching film. It’s about surviving now.” - Jay Wright after his team’s win against Michigan in the Sweet 16.

 

 

 

J. Carlton 

Kyler Edwards 

T. Moore

J. Shead 

F. White

 

E. Dixon 

C. Gillespie 

J. Moore 

Jermaine Samuels 

B. Slater

 

 

PPG: M. Sasser (17.7)

APG: J. Shead (5.9)

Reb/G: J. Carlton (6.6)

 

PPG: J. Nelson Jr. (14)

APG: K. Anderson (3.6)

Reb/G: D. Painter (6.9)

 

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (8th season)

Villanova Wildcats: Jay Wright (21st season)