How To Watch:
Friday, March 20
Utah State vs. Villanova (4:10 p.m. EST) | Coverage: TBS
Location: San Diego, Calif.
FanDuel Odds:
Utah State vs. Villanova
Betting Line: Utah State -1.5 (-102)
Moneyline: Utah State -126, UCLA +105
O/U: 146.5 (-115)
(Check out FanDuel Sportsbook here. Odds and lines are subject to change)
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Mountain West stamped just one bid into the NCAA Tournament. That team? Utah State, who took home the Mountain West’s regular season title and tournament title for the second — and final — time in program
history.
Utah State was the best team all season. It parlayed a strong regular season finale against New Mexico into a dominant tournament. They bested UNLV by 20 points, Nevada by 14 and San Diego State by 11 in the title game, — even though the Aggies essentially had an at-large bid locked up for weeks. At the very least, they’re now making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance over the last eight years.
And Kevin Willard’s squad presents no easy task. Led by freshman Acaden Lewis and Tyler Perkins, the Wildcats opened the season 12-2 — despite an opening night loss to BYU and a MTE loss to Michigan — ultimately finishing 27-8 in a weaker Big East, where it placed third. Though Villanova got bounced in the first round by No. 10 Georgetown, 78-64, which was shocking.
Lewis and Perkins are the two names to keep an eye on for Villanova. Lewis averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 assists on 46.4 percent shooting, albeit with poor 3-point and free-throw shooting splits. Perkins topped the team in scoring at 13.7 points on 44.2/36.6/73.9 shooting splits, adding 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals a night.
Duke Brennan presents a lot of size in the middle, although Villanova doesn’t have a ton of size elsewhere, which could benefit Utah State.
The Aggies are led by the Mountain West Player of the Year Mason Falslev, in addition to MJ Collins, who led the team in scoring and 3-point shooting. Drake Allen was also one of the conference’s top playmakers, dishing out 4.7 dimes, while Adlan Elamin, Garry Clark and Karson Templin, the MW Sixth Man of the Year, was impactful off the bench.
Keys To Victory:
Speed Villanova Up: Villanova doesn’t play with great pace. We saw the Aggies speed teams up in the MW Tournament with its shape-shifting matchup zone defensively. If it can do the same and present different looks, it could luck into a few more turnovers which, in turn, can speed Villanova up.
Attack Offensive Glass: Villanova’s a poor defensive rebounding team and isn’t large. USU, on the other hand, is a good-not-great offensive rebounding team. Rebounds win championships in this sport — especially in March. Find a way to acquire any extra bites possible.
Must Continue To Execute Late: Guard play wins. Utah State has two excellent guards in Falslev and Collins — who are better than Villanova’s crop. And their ability to execute late in games has been critical to the team’s success. At this time of year, that must continue.
Prediction: Utah State 73, Villanova 69
