Ohio State (7) vs Villanova (2) NCAA Tournament Round 2

March Madness bracket

Tipoff time TBA Sunday March 20, 2022

We head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the game between the Buckeyes and the Wildcats in one of the most intriguing second round matchups. Either way a solid team is going to head home early here. Ohio State dispatched Loyola (IL) fairly easily by a score of 54-41, while Villanova had a relatively easy draw as the second seed against Delaware. On paper this is an interesting matchup. Both teams rank near the bottom of the country in offensive pace at 326th and 343rd respectively. Yet they also rank 21st and 18th in the nation in offensive efficiency. It shows that both teams play a controlled style and capitalize on their offensive possessions.

Defensively, Villanova has a clear statistical advantage over Ohio State. But we’re in March and what matters in close games in March is free throw shooting and defense. Villanova is the better defensive team pure and simple, and it also happens to rank first overall in the nation in free throw shooting percentage. The Wildcats will clamp down on you throughout the game and punish you with free throws in the second half. I like Ohio State as a unit, but I don’t think they can hang with Villanova, especially in the Wildcats’ home state. Lay it with Villanova.

Joey G.

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