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The Delaware Blue Hens are set to face the Villanova Wildcats. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our Delaware Villanova prediction, odds, and pick.
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The Delaware Blue Hens played tremendous defense to win the CAA Tournament championship. Delaware punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by not allowing more than 56 points in three different conference tournament game victories. The Blue Hens finished in the middle of the pack in the CAA regular season, but they defeated Towson, the regular-season conference champion, in the semifinals, and then took down the comeback kings of the conference, UNC Wilmington, in the final. It's going to be hard to lose games when a team refuses to give up 60 points in a game. Delaware is yet another example of the reality that whereas most basketball fans talk about a shooting rhythm, the Blue Hens are in a defensive rhythm. It's up to Villanova to bust up the Blue Hens' defense more than their offense. This is part of the calculus in a Delaware Villanova prediction.
The Villanova Wildcats did not win the Big East regular-season championship, but they did win the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden in New York. Much as Delaware won its conference tournament with defense, Villanova won the Big East tourney with its defense, containing Connecticut in the semifinals and then clamping down on Creighton in a hard-fought final. The big improvement in Villanova over the past month — the kind of thing which should affect a Delaware Villanova pick — is the emergence of Collin Gillespie. He was not particularly impressive in the early months of the season, but in the past month, he has become the big-shot maker and late-game leader Villanova knew he could always become. Gillespie was injured in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, a big reason Villanova was not able to go deeper than the Sweet 16. With a healthy Gillespie playing at an elite level, Villanova has a real chance to return to the Final Four under head coach Jay Wright, who is searching for a third national championship.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Delaware-Villanova odds:
March Madness Odds: Delaware-Villanova Odds
Delaware: +15.5 (-110)
Villanova: -15.5 (-110)
Over: 133.5 (-110)
Under: 133.5 (-110)
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Why Delaware Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Hens simply know how to play defense. It has been quite a while since Delaware played a poor defensive game. Villanova is coming off a rough ride in the Big East final — it prevailed, but its offense struggled. The idea that Delaware can keep this game relatively close holds up pretty well.
Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats aren't going to shoot poorly on a consistent basis. More precisely, they aren't going to shoot poorly against a less physical opponent which can't match up easily at all five spots on the floor. Delaware is playing great defense, but against CAA opponents, not a No. 2 seed with a lot more talent.
Final Delaware-Villanova Prediction & Pick
Villanova will come out firing and has the skill level which can overwhelm Delaware. Take the Wildcats here.
Final Delaware-Villanova Pick: Villanova -15.5
