• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

NCAA Tournament East Region: Villanova Has Easiest Path To Final Four

Ben Jameson by Ben Jameson
March 13, 2018
in Sports
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In my March Madness region previews, I have projected No. 4 Arizona to come out of the South Region, which looks to be the toughest, and No. 4 Gonzaga to come out of the West, which looks to be the easiest. That completes the “left” side of the Final Four. Not loving I’ve picked two No. 4s in the national semifinals as that has happened just a few times, last in 2013, but no going back now.

What the overriding story line of the South Region? I believe that No. 1 Villanova has the easiest road of any top-seeded team and that the South is the second-easiest bracket overall behind the West. The Wildcats had their four-year run of Big East regular-season titles end this season but rallied to take the conference tournament. They are +500 favorites to win a second national championship in three seasons and +125 in the East.

NCAA Tournament March Madness East Region Preview: Villanova Wildcats Have Easiest Path To Final Four

NCAA Tournament March Madness East Region Preview: Villanova Wildcats Have Easiest Path To Final Four
Jalen Brunson #1 and Mikal Bridges #25.

What’s not to like about the Wildcats? Jay Wright has made this program into every bit the blue-blood that a Duke, North Carolina, Kansas or Kentucky is. Villanova became just the second team in Division I history to win at least 30 games in four straight seasons and if it reaches the Final Four will set a D-I record for wins in a four-year span (Gonzaga can too). Villanova has won 130 games in the past four seasons, and the record is 133 by Duke (1997-98 through 2000-01).

[Stay tuned at our Facebook page and Twitter @sports_handle for the latest]

Nova has the nation’s top offense behind two future NBA players in Big East Player of the Year Jalen Brunson (19.4 ppg) and Mikal Bridges (18.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who actually will be the higher draft pick. KenPom has the Wildcats No. 1 in offensive efficiency at 127.4 points per 100 possessions. To win a title, recent history has shown schools need to be Top 20 in both offense and defense; Nova is 22nd defensively, surrendering 96.0 points per 100 possessions. The team can get a bit 3-point happy as well, and in all four losses the Wildcats shot very poorly from deep. But, you can say that about nearly every contender.

Coach Painter took a few minutes to talk with Rob Blackman about tonight's NCAA Tournament announcement. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/A4KDGAXkbR

— Purdue Mens Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 12, 2018

While the South Region is loaded with defensive powers, the East is an offensive bracket as the No. 2 seed is Purdue, which is also No. 2 nationally in offensive efficiency. The Boilers are +275 to win the East. They are by far the worst No. 2 seed in this writer’s opinion – Purdue didn’t win either the Big Ten regular-season or conference titles. Carsen Edwards is an excellent player and the Boilers have two 7-footers in Issac Haas and Matt Haarms, but Coach Matt Painter’s rotation goes only about seven deep. So an injury/foul trouble (Haas tends to get into that and is very slow, thus playing less than 24 minutes per game) and the Boilers are toast. Also keep in mind that Purdue lost its past three games vs. ranked teams.

There’s a huge drop-off to win the East after those two at No. 5 West Virginia (+800), No. 3 Texas Tech (+1000) and No. 4 Wichita State (+1000). Do any of those schools scare you? WVU has that hard-to-handle pressure defense but it’s generally vastly less effective outside or Morgantown. If you have time to prepare for “Press Virginia,” you can deal with it. It’s most effective in a quick turnaround game. The Mountaineers also lost five of six at one point.

Texas Tech’s best player, Keenan Evans, still isn’t 100 percent from a toe injury and the Red Raiders lost five of their final seven. Wichita State has all five starters back from last year but could win either the regular-season or tournament titles in their new conference, the AAC.

Villanova is my biggest Final Four lock. Not only is it clearly the best team in the East, it will play the first two rounds in nearby Pittsburgh and the next two in nearby Boston.


Also Check out From SportsHandle:

Best & Worst NCAA Basketball ATS Bets Heading Into March Madness

Top Overall Seed Virginia Punished By South Region Placement?

West Far From Best: Who Wins Weakest NCAA Tournament Region?

Best Betting Scenes: Bill Russell Goes Rogue on ‘Miami Vice’

Share4TweetShare
Ben Jameson

Ben Jameson

Ben Jameson is a veteran sports handicapper, covering college basketball, the NFL and college football.

Related Posts

Getty Images
Industry

FAU Bettors Sitting On Lottery Tickets If Longshot Owls Prevail At Final Four

March 31, 2023
whats on tap
Industry

What’s On Tap: Final Four, LeBron’s Playoff Push, And MLB Opening Day

March 27, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

taylor mathis

Taylor Mathis Got Sacrificed At The Altar Of Responsible Gambling

March 20, 2023
fanduel baseball wall

Premade Same Game Parlays Are Sucker Bets

March 13, 2023
maginfier-over-small-print

Read The Fine Print: A Proposed Federal Rule Could Change Everything For Indian Gaming

March 6, 2023
roman reigns wwe

Colorado Denies Report Stating That It’s Considering WWE Wagering

March 8, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
March 31, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 27, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2023

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright © 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News