Oklahoma vs. Villanova Odds
| Oklahoma Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 125 -110o / -110u | +130 |
| Villanova Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 125 -110o / -110u | -150 |
Villanova hosts Oklahoma at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Saturday afternoon.
Kyle Neptune's first season taking over for Jay Wright has gotten off to a rocky start.
The Wildcats have lost six straight games, with their only wins coming against La Salle and Delaware State, who are both outside the top 200.
Villanova's struggles have been intensified by the absence of Justin Moore, and highly-touted freshman Cam Whitmore.
On the other side, Oklahoma has been red-hot to start its 2022-23 campaign.
The Sooners have rattled off six straight wins, including taking home the ESPN Events Invitational after defeating Ole Miss, 59-55, in the final.
The Sooners are led by senior Grant Sherfield, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game to go with 5.0 assists.
Grant Sherfield, y'all. pic.twitter.com/YFjNOjRBON
— OUHoops (@ouhoops) November 27, 2022
This is a Saturday afternoon matchup of two teams who have had drastically different starts to their seasons.
Oklahoma Sooners
Second-year head coach Porter Moser has found his stride, leading the Sooners to an ESPN Events Invitational title thanks to their defense.
Oklahoma notched three straight wins against Nebraska, Seton Hall and Ole Miss, holding each opponent to just over 58 points per contest.
As a result, the Sooners rank 27th nationally in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Oklahoma has been especially proficient in limiting teams' success from the outside, allowing just 25.6% shooting from beyond the arc.
This success in defending the 3-point line will continue against a Villanova unit that ranks 245th nationally in 3P% (31.4%).
To make matters worse, Villanova has gotten 36.5% of its total points from 3 this season, which ranks 65th nationally.
Offensively, Oklahoma will look to continue its efficient play against a suspect Villanova defensive unit.
The Sooners rank inside the top 70 in effective FG%, 3P% and 2P%. All of these are categories are areas that Villanova ranks outside the top 200 in on defense.
Oklahoma has been the most effective offensively when it gets into the lane, scoring 54.3% of its total points from 2-point range. This is an area in which Villanova has struggled in all year, giving up 45.1% of its points to 2-pointers, which is 299th in the country.
Look for Oklahoma to continue its offensive success against a Villanova team that has yet to find any defensive cohesiveness.
Villanova Wildcats
Replacing Wright was never going to be an easy task for blue-blood Villanova. However, the six-game losing streak that the Wildcats have put together to start the season is still shocking.
Although Villanova ranks 23rd nationally in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, it's settling for the outside shot far too frequently.
The Wildcats rank 11th in the country in 3PA attempts in relation to their total attempts from the field. This is concerning for a team that's shooting just 31.4% from beyond the arc.
Additionally, this high percentage of misses have turned into a high-number of one-and-done trips. The Wildcats rank 245th in offensive rebound% at just 25.4%.
Villanova will need to be much more clinical to keep pace with an Oklahoma offense that's 51st nationally in effective FG%.
Oklahoma vs. Villanova Betting Pick
This matchup between Villanova and Oklahoma has been billed as an opportunity for the Wildcats to bounce back as they return to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for Neptune's squad, this Oklahoma team has been able to find success on both ends of the floor early and often to start this season.
I will gladly take the Sooners at +3 against a Villanova team that has yet to prove itself against high-level competition this season.
