The No.2-seeded Oklahoma Sooners (29-7) get together with the No.2-seeded Villanova Wildcats (33-5) in the Final Four at NRG Stadium. The game starts at 6:09 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 2 and will air on TBS.
The Sooners defeated Oregon 80-68 in the Regional Finals. Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 37 points on 13-for-20 shooting. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 64-59 win over Kansas in the Regional Finals. Daniel Ochefu stood out, recording 10 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
Kris Jenkins has been on a tear over the last five games for the Wildcats, averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Oklahoma ranks second in the nation, allowing just 98.7 points per 100 possessions, while Villanova is first (95.2). Also, the upper-echelon offense of the Wildcats ranks 17th in eFG% at 55.2%, while the Sooners are second-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (46.4%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Sooners won the first game 80-68. Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 37 points.
The Sooners have gone 29-7 Straight Up (SU) and 14-20 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Sooners, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the nation at .331.
As for their opponent, Villanova has a SU record of 33-5 and an ATS record of 20-17. Villanova has a good SU record over the last 10 games (8-2), but have a 3-7 record ATS. The Wildcats are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .784 free throw percentage that ranks second in Division I. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Wildcats. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.47. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Wildcats on the defensive end. They allowed 68.8 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 63.6.
Despite the Sooners’ latest win over the Wildcats, Oklahoma is still behind in the head-to-head record, 1-2 SU. Additionally, Villanova holds the advantage ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla
Notes
Villanova averages 77.5 points per game (ranked 57th). Oklahoma, on the other hand, allows 70.4 points per game (ranked 113th).
Villanova scores 78.7 points per away game (ranked 91st). Oklahoma ranks a poor 110th in points allowed at home, allowing 73.2 points.
The Oklahoma Sooners have a defensive rating of 98.7, second-best in the country. The Villanova Wildcats have a top-tier offense with an offensive rating of 115.6 (ranked 18th).
Villanova has an average field goal percentage of 47.6%. Oklahoma is a winning 4-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Oklahoma Sooners and the Villanova Wildcats both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Oklahoma is 64th and 20th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Villanova is 31st and 17th in these categories.
Oklahoma ranks 86th in assists, recording 14.7 per game. Villanova ranks 28th with 16.2 assists per game.
Oklahoma, the 21st-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.2 per game. Villanova ranks lower at 175th with 3.4.
Villanova ranks 299th in offensive rebounds, while Oklahoma ranks at 29th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Oklahoma forces a turnover rate of 17.9%, ranked fifth in the nation. When Villanova turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 13-2 record.
