After knocking out both top seeds in their respective regions, #2 Villanova and #2 Oklahoma will face on April 2nd for the first matchup of the Final Four in Houston. Both teams reach the big dance as media darlings and as triumphant offshore betting underdogs who are just a mere two games away from the possibility of playing for the National Championship. On one end Villanova managed to get the biggest upset of the two as they defeated the tournament contenders Kansas Jayhawks delivering a huge upset to all college basketball betting enthusiasts and experts. Oklahoma, on the other hand, displayed that they are serious contenders as their Star Senior SG Buddy Hield, is proving to be a real threat. The stage is set for a thrilling basketball game for the Final Four.
Not since one Steph Curry dominated for Davidson in the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago, has there been a player that has really been the center of attention for one school. With shooting for over 50% from the field, and 47% from 3-point rage Hield is the biggest concern in Villanova’s mind. But if Oklahoma wants to provide Hield with enough chance to lead this team to the National Championship game, the Oklahoma Sooners will need to cut down the amount of turnovers they have been giving away in the past couple of Final Four games.
Currently the underdog Sooners (+115), are an attractive bet in most offshore betting sites and other online sportsbooks. They have proven to be effective enough on offense to cause a problem and they have a supporting cast for their star player that can also shoot the ball efficiently. If they want to reach their third national Championship game they must have Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard make some buckets and help Buddy with the offensive workload.
But with Kansas sent home, the Villanova Wildcats are now the bullies of the playground and are the Final Four favorites offshore betting sites to play for their second National Championship in 31 years.
Defensively, the Wildcats smothered their last three rivals as they picked their opponents’ pockets a total 36 times. Forcing Iowa, Miami and Kansas to turn the ball over, and most importantly capitalizing on those created opportunities. This could spell disaster for the Sooners as they are prone to lose the ball on key possessions. Also, the Wildcats are sharpshooters from the perimeter, keeping a very high percentage of 3-points made all through out the tournament.
What will make this game interesting is that both teams are scoring machines. Villanova is averaging 82 points per game in the tournament, while Oklahoma averages 81 points. This game will definitely cover the spread on college basketball betting sportsbooks, unless we see Villanova forcing this game to be a rare low scoring affair (as they did with the Jayhawks in their Elite Eight game).
As for predictions regarding this game, we can see Buddy Hield mounting a shooting clinic and keeping the Sooners up for lapses of the game. But Buddy can only do so much, and Villanova’s persistent defense will force Oklahoma to turn the ball over, Villanova will take a commanding lead in the second half and, despite a response from the Sooners late in the game, they will not be able to steal the win. In the end Villanova will win 83-75, thus covering the spread set on the majority of offshore betting sites.