The No. 1 seed Villanova Wildcats continued their run, advancing to the Final Four with a win against Chris Beard’s No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders, 71-59, on Sunday, March 25, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Villanova successfully covered the 6.5-point spread. The game went under the total of 144.5.
Villanova will move on to face the winner of No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Duke. A Jayhawks win would set up a 1-versus-1 showdown in the Final Four. Odds for that matchup will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook, but we anticipate the line will be very narrow, and there may be an even line regardless of which team advances from the Midwest region.
Villanova led 36-23 at the half. The Wildcats dominated on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 50-33. Villanova won despite shooting poorly from outside; the Wildcats hit only four of their 24 three-point attempts. Naismith Award candidate Jalen Brunson led the Wildcats with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The Wildcats have also defeated Radford, Alabama, and West Virginia thus far in the tournament. Before Texas Tech’s run came to an end, the Red Raiders defeated Stephen F. Austin, Florida, and Purdue.
Villanova was given solid odds to win the tournament, with BetDSI pegging the Wildcats at +400 to cut down the nets in San Antonio. Those were the best odds of any team. Texas Tech had much slimmer odds at +4500.
Here are the pre-tourney odds for every team:
Odds to Win 2018 NCAA Tournament
Villanova +400
Duke +550
Virginia +600
Michigan State +750
Michigan +1000
Purdue +1250
Arizona +1300
Kansas +1700
North Carolina +2000
Xavier +2200
Kentucky +2300
Cincinnati +2500
Gonzaga +2500
West Virginia +3500
Wichita State +4000
Texas Tech +4500
Tennessee +4500
Auburn +6000
Ohio State +7500
Rhode Island +10000
Missouri +10000
Florida +12000
Texas A&M +15000
Clemson +15000
Houston +15000
TCU +17000
Virginia Tech +17000
Alabama +20000
Seton Hall +20000
Butler +20000
NC State +21000
Arkansas +22000
Miami +22000
Nevada +25000
Providence +25000
UCLA +25000
Texas +28000
Creighton +28000
Florida State +28000
Kansas State +30000
Oklahoma +30000
Arizona State +35000
Syracuse +35000
New Mexico State +50000
Davidson +50000
St. Bonaventure +50000
Pennsylvania +55000
Loyola Chicago +60000
San Diego State +65000
Montana +75000
Wright State +75000
Stephen F. Austin +75000
South Dakota State +75000
Buffalo +100000
Texas Southern +100000
Radford +100000
Iona +100000
UMBC +100000
LIU Brooklyn +100000
NC Central +100000
UNC Greensboro +100000
Lipscomb +100000
CS Fullerton +100000
Georgia State +100000
Murray State +100000
