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March Madness is here. Let's continue our NCAA odds series by making a Winthrop-Villanova prediction for this incredible March Madness game.
And of all the barn burners that we are bound to get over the course of just this first weekend, the matchup between the Winthrop Eagles and the Villanova Wildcats will be one of the most interesting to watch. The NCAA's selection committee continues to do mid-majors dirty and continues to underestimate them due to strength of schedule.
But Chandler Vaudrin is probably the most electric player in the field and has the best chance to pull a Buddy Hield/Steph Curry in this tournament as he stuffs the stat sheet. Villanova, meanwhile, is tough to underestimate as one of the more solid programs returning to the tournament but has looked different ever since senior floor general and leader Collin Gillespie went down for the season with a torn MCL.
Of all the David and Goliath matchups over the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, this David seems to be the most capable of toppling their giant. Let's break down the Winthrop vs. Villanova game in this preview and prediction piece.
Here is how the sportsbooks have set the odds:
NCAA Odds: Winthrop – Villanova
Winthrop Eagles +6.5 (-110)
Villanova Wildcats -6.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 143 (-110)
Why Winthrop Could Cover the Spread
There is one cardinal rule in betting March Madness: never, ever, ever bet against a hot, sweet-shooting mid-major, especially one with a star. And the Winthrop Eagles check all of those boxes. As mentioned before, Chandler Vaudrin is a veritable stat sheet stuffer, averaging 12/6/6 through the season. And his lack of sizzle in the scoring column is more of a testament to the Eagles' depth rather than a lack of talent. This rotation goes deep and can field up to 11 competitive players on any given night.
Their weakness, like any mid-major, comes in the form of three words: strength of schedule. The Eagles could be due for a bit of a shock coming into the tournament, especially after they spent their entire season playing against very weak competition. Ths could sway the opinion of bettors with regards to Winthrop vs. Villanova prediction.
However, they absolutely smashed their way through the Big South Conference, which could indicate that this team has an absolute killer instinct. And schedule or not, a 23-1 record is nothing to sneeze at. Combine that with the reeling of the Wildcats after Gillespie went down, and you have a streaking team with a bonafide star punching at a slumping heavyweight with low morale.
This is a team that can beat anybody, and they were lucky enough to draw the perfect ‘anybody'.
Why Villanova Could Cover the Spread
The Eagles are simply not ready. 23-1 is very impressive, to be sure, but Winthrop's record is against a bunch of future accountants.
More than that, while Villanova is in the middle of a depressing slump after its leader went down, you can bet a team of this caliber has the ability to turn on the jets. And boy, will they be motivated to do just that.
Isn't it just a perfect storyline too? Major conference team and projected 1 seed has its heart torn out, only to come back and win an entire tournament. That's a movie script right there. And the cast is all present too. Justin Moore is poised to lead as their backup point guard, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is an athletic freak and nightmare on defense. Robinson-Earl's [presence alone could be all a bettor needs to know to believe that siding with the Wildcats in making his or her own Winthrop Villanova prediction.
All it would take for Villanova to shake their blues is for Robinson-Earl to at least slow down Chandler Vaudrin. After that, Villanova's wildly efficient shooting will take care of the rest.
Final Winthrop-Villanova Prediction & Pick
While the script that Villanova is set up for is inspiring and beautiful, Winthrop's is just better, and more common. They are streaking at the right time, and have just the right amount of swagger to at least keep up with any team in the field. And with 11 quality players in the rotation, the odds are more than good that a bunch of Eagles will get hot at some point, even without Vaudrin's help in the scoring column.
Villanova is here for a reason and is equally dangerous from the line, but the Eagles are coming into this tournament hot, focused, and most importantly, hungry. This game is bound to be an absolute fireworks show of shooting and offense, and in those games, anything can happen. Lean into that notion.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR WINTHROP-VILLANOVA: WINTHROP 82, VILLANOVA 77 (WINTHROP +6.5)
