Top-seeded Villanova faces its first major test of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when it takes on 5-seed West Virginia in a Sweet 16 showdown on Friday at 7:27 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are favored by 5.5 points, up from an open of five, while the over-under, or total points Vegas thinks would be scored, is 152.5, down a half-point from the opener.
Villanova possesses the top-ranked offense in the country, but can it handle "Press" Virginia? Before choosing a side in this intriguing March Madness 2018 game, you need to see what SportsLine analyst Josh Nagel has to say.
Nagel is a Nevada-based expert with almost two decades of experience in the handicapping industry. He has won multiple handicapping contests and specializes in picking college sports.
He's also developed an innate feel for when to back and when to fade West Virginia, nailing 11 of his last 13 picks involving the Mountaineers. That includes taking WVU (-2.5) in the Big 12 tournament in a 66-63 win over Texas Tech.
Now, Nagel has studied every angle of Villanova-West Virginia in the 2018 Sweet 16 and locked in a strong point-spread pick. He's found a huge x-factor that caused him to back one side confidently.
Nagel knows that Villanova is arguably the hottest team remaining in the NCAA Tournament 2018. With favorites going down left and right, the Wildcats have dominated, winning their two games by an average of 24.5 points. Overall, they've won six of their last seven by 10 points or more.
Villanova's top-ranked offense clicks because of the backcourt duo of Jalen Brunson (19.1 ppg) and Mikal Bridges (18 ppg). And the Wildcats don't waste possessions, coming into this matchup ranked in the top-15 nationally in turnovers per game with just 10.4.
West Virginia, though, gets teams to turn it over at a rate of 16.5 per game, fifth-most and tops among NCAA Tournament teams. The Mountaineers forced 16 in an 85-68 rout of Murray State in the opening round and 18 against Marshall in a 94-71 blowout victory to reach the 2018 Sweet 16.
The Mountaineers can score as well. They're averaging almost 90 points in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and hit 85 points three times in their last eight games.
Villanova has treated backers well, going 23-12 against the spread, including five of its last six. West Virginia has been an underdog just three times all season, covering twice, and is on a 4-1 ATS streak.
Which side has the edge on Friday? Nagel believes the line in this game is way off. He explains why, and reveals his confident pick, only at SportsLine.
So which side do you need to be all over in Villanova vs. West Virginia? Visit SportsLine now to see why the Vegas line is way off, from a Nevada-based handicapper on an 11-2 run on West Virginia games.
