March Madness Elite Eight: #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders and #1 Villanova Wildcats
Red Raiders Have a Very Tough Battle Ahead
The Elite Eight continues today, Sunday, Mar. 25, as the #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-9) and #1 Villanova Wildcats (33-4) meet at 2:20 p.m. E.T. at the TD Garden, Boston, MA in the East Region. Our Texas Tech plays Villanova 2018 Elite Eight free pick offer the Wildcats at -6.5 and the over/under at 144.5
There’s will be one more game to go after this one and that’s the #2 Duke Blue Devils at the #1 Kansas Jayhawks at 5:05 p.m. E.T. That game, which is in the Midwest Region, will be played at CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE. After that, the Final Four will be complete.
Recent History
In the first round, the Red Raiders beat the #14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 70-60. In round two, Texas Tech met a very tough #6 Florida Gators team. They got by them 69-66. In the third round, they beat the #2 Purdue Boilermakers 78-65. They are primed and ready to meet ‘Nova.
The Wildcats have played as expected, easily beating each of their three opponents. In the initial round, they took down the #16 Radford Highlanders 87-61. In the next round, they beat the #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 81-58. They then met the #5 West Virginia Mountaineers. The final in that game was ‘Nova 90 and WVU 78. The Wildcats seem to be unbeatable.
Basic Stats and Facts
Villanova has the edge in scoring, as they are averaging 87 PPG, while the Red Raiders are putting 75 PPG on the scoreboard. In the tournament, the Cats are scoring 86 PPG and the Raiders 72 PPG. They are both holding teams to approximately 64 PPG, as Texas Tech is hitting 46.4% of their shots and the Wildcats 50.3%. Villanova has major edges in three-point shots (36% to 41%) and free throws (77% to 70%). Overall, the teams are fairly even in other statistical categories.
Players to Watch
Texas Tech’s senior guard, Keenan Evans, and two freshman guards, Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver, are the top scorers on this team. Evans is averaging 17.4 PPG, while the two freshmen have been good for 11 PPG and 4.9 RPG each. Smith is 56% on field goals and 45% on three-point shots. In the frontcourt, Tommy Hamilton IV and Norense Odiase will try to controi the paint. Together, they are averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game.
Villanova is loaded. Included on their roster are six players who are scoring in double digits. The top players in terms of shooting are junior guards Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. Brunson is scoring 19.3 PPG and dishing off 4.6 APG, while Bridges is putting up 18.0 PPG and grabbing 5.4 RPG. Brunson’s a 54% field goal shooter and Bridges is good on 52%. There are a lot of avid rebounders on this team, including freshman forward Omari Spellman who’s taking in 7.9 RPG and scoring 10.4 PPG. All three of the players mentions are 42-percent-plus three-point shooters.
Our Texas Tech Plays Villanova 2018 Elite Eight Free Pick
We’re having a hard time seeing an upset here. In our Texas Tech plays Villanova 2018 Elite Eight free pick, we are taking the Wildcats at -6.5. We also like the over at 144.5. We see a this game as being high scoring, but we think that the Wildcats will dominate.
Red Raiders and Wildcats Pick Summary: Villanova at -6.5 and over 144.5
