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Villanova vs. Winthrop Odds: Wildcats Looking to Avoid Upset

By Russ Joy

Published: Mar 14th, 2021 · 10:05 PM EDT

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Two years removed from the last iteration of March Madness, the 2021 NCAA Tournament has arrived. Let’s get into the Villanova vs. Winthrop line and odds.

The current Villanova vs. Winthrop odds show that the Wildcats will enter their No. 5 vs. No 12 first-round matchup as a 6-point and -286 odds moneyline favorite. On the other side, Winthrop is +235 on the moneyline. The game total for this contest is set at 140 points.

Villanova vs. Winthrop Odds

Villanova most recently dropped a disappointing 72-71 result to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, despite entering play as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.

Click here to get crazy 64-1 March Madness odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Prior to that loss, Nova had dropped two of their previous three games, including a 54-52 loss to Providence and a 73-61 result to Butler.

Winthrop’s last game came in the Big South Tournament, where they entered play as the tournament’s top seed and lived up to the hype, dispatching No. 3 Campbell 80-53 in the Big South Tournament championship game. Prior to the Big South Tournament, Winthrop was victorious in four consecutive contests.

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Villanova was originally expected to be a much higher seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, but standout guard Collin Gillespie suffered a season-ending torn MCL and guard Justin Moore sustained a severe ankle sprain that has his status in question.

As such, Nova enters the tournament with long odds at +4000, while Winthrop has even worse odds at +10000.

 

Villanova vs. Winthrop Line

Here is the opening line for the Villanova-Winthrop matchup in the First Round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Be sure to check back throughout the week for updated information pertaining to the moneyline and spread. Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook which has 64-1 odds on the tournament:

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total
Winthrop Eagles	+6.5	+235	O 140 (-109)
Villanova Wildcats	-6.5	-286	U 140 (-110)

Spread

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Villanova opens up as a 6.5-point favorite over Winthrop.

Villanova has been one of the preeminent programs in men’s college basketball for the past decade, winning two national titles in three years in 2016 and 2018.

The Wildcats were poised to contend for yet another national championship, but a torn MCL ended the season of Collin Gillespie, and with it -some say- their title chances.

The fate of Villanova’s squad will rest in the hands -and ankle- of guard Justin Moore, whose status remains a question mark entering the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

On the season, Villanova is 11-10-1 ATS, while Winthrop 13-11 ATS.

In the last 15 years, the No. 12 seed has gone 33-25-2 ATS.

There’s reason to focus in on how small the spread is in this one. Villanova’s only favored by 6.5 points, which could bode poorly for them. No. 5 seeds are 14-24-1 ATS when favored by six points or less, so keep an eye on where the spread lands ahead of the game.

 

Moneyline

The moneyline has Villanova at -286 to win outright and Winthrop at +235.

Even with Gillespie’s absence and question marks surrounding Villanova’s backcourt depth going forward in this tournament, it would still appear to be quite the difficult mountain to summit in the case of Winthrop.

Winthrop deserves a ton of credit for their 23-1 record on the season, but it’s also worth noting that most viewers of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and even avid fans of college basketball would likely struggle to name five teams from the Big South Conference.

This Villanova Wildcats squad is not the same team they had hoped to enter the 2021 NCAA Tournament with. And yet, their 16-6 record was respectable as the Big East is a conference full of rock solid teams with a ton of history.

It’s worth noting that a No. 12 seed has upset a No. 5 seed in at least one first round game in 30 of the last 35 years, with the 2019 NCAA Tournament seeing it happen a staggering three times.

The moneyline in this game could be worth a look as Villanova is still the more talented team and -286 odds aren’t exactly the richest value for your money.

On the flip side, it could be worth taking a flier on Winthrop at +235 odds if you’re feeling the upset.

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Total

The Villanova vs. Winthrop total is set at 140 points per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Villanova is averaging 75.5 points per game, led by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s 15.7 points per game. Nova’s total could dip, however, as Gillespie’s 14 points per game will need to be made up as well as Justin Moore’s 12.6 points hanging out as an uncertain variable.

The Winthrop Eagles are averaging and even better 79.5 points per game with four players averaging double figures.

The first half total is set at over/under 65 points.

Villanova vs. Winthrop Prop Bets

While there are no player prop bets available as of Selection Sunday, there are a number of team and game props available for interested bettors.

First Half Total

Villanova O/U 34.5 Points: Over (-107), Under (-125)

Winthrop O/U 31/5 Points: Over (-103), Under (-130)

Total Points

Villanova O/U 72.5 Points: Over (-122), Under (-105)

Winthrop O/U 67.5 Points: Over (-107), Under (-120)

Odd/Even Total

Odd: -110

Even: -110

Will There Be Overtime?

Yes: +1150

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