Saturday, March 18, 2017

KeyBank Center

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The 8 seed Wisconsin Badgers travel to KeyBank Center to play the 1 seed Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, March 18, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Villanova as 5 point favorites.

The Badgers finished the regular season with an overall record of 23-8. They are 15-16 against the spread and their over/under record is 12-13. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a record of 28-3. They have an over/under record of 11-20 and they are 19-16 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Bronson Koenig comes into this contest averaging 14.5 points per game while playing 31.2 minutes per night so far this season for the Badgers. He pulls down 2.1 rebounds per game and dishes out 2.1 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 42% while his free throw percentage is currently at 90%. Ethan Happ averages 13.8 points per game in 27.8 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.8 assists per contest and 9.1 rebounds per game for Wisconsin. His field goal percentage is 59% for the year while his free throw percentage is 49%.

Josh Hart averages 18.7 points per game while playing 33.1 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 6.5 rebounds per game and has 3.0 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 51% and his free throw percentage currently is at 74%. Jalen Brunson averages 14.8 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 31.0 minutes per contest. He also averages 2.6 rebounds per contest and 4.2 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 54% and his free throw percentage is 88%.

Wisconsin averages 72.3 points per contest this season which ranks them 201st in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 10.5 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 131st. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 139th in the country. They average 37.3 rebounds per game and 13.7 assists per game which ranks them 94th and 156th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 327th with 10.9 per game. The Badgers allow 61.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 11th in the nation. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the arc ranking them 41st and 315th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 30.8 rebounds a game which ranks 14th and they give up 10.3 assists per contest which puts them in 11th place in the country. They force 12.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 154th in Division 1.

Villanova averages 77.6 points per game this year which ranks them 73rd in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 15.0 and their shooting percentage is 50% as a team which has them sitting in the 7th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 88th in the nation. They average 33.7 rebounds per game and 14.3 assists per contest which ranks them 279th and 120th respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 318th with 11.3 per game. The Wildcats allow 62.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 16th in the country. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 31% average from behind the arc ranking them 67th and 24th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 29.7 rebounds a game which ranks 5th and they give up 13.5 assists per contest which puts them in 194th place in the nation. The Wildcats force 13.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 178th in college basketball.

The Badgers are 54th in the nation in offensive rating at 110.7. They assist on 52.3% of their shots, which ranks 181st in the country. In terms of pace they average 64.6 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 341st among D-1 teams. They are 125th in effective field goal percentage with 52%. As a team they are 188th in the country in true shooting percentage with 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 37% of their shots. Wisconsin turns the ball over an average of 14 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 54.8% places them 17th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 35.6%.

The Wildcats are 5th in the nation in offensive rating at 117.9. They assist on 53% of their shots, which ranks 163rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 65.8 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 320th among D-1 teams. They are 5th in effective field goal percentage with 58%. As a team they are 2nd in the country in true shooting percentage with 62% and they shoot 3 pointers on 44% of their shots. Villanova turns the ball over an average of 15.1 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 53.1% places them 54th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 29.8%.

Wisconsin Badgers Betting Trends

The Wisconsin Badgers are 15-16 against the spread

The Wisconsin Badgers are 12-13 against the over/under

Villanova Wildcats Betting Trends

The Villanova Wildcats are 19-16 against the spread

The Villanova Wildcats are 11-20 against the over/under

Wisconsin Badgers Injuries

No key injuries to report

Villanova Wildcats Injuries

11/12/16 F Omari Spellman Eligibility out for season
02/11/17 F Tim Delaney Hip out for season
01/06/17 G Phil Booth Knee out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take Villanova -5

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