Villanova vs North Carolina: Final Four Preview & Betting Odds
Written April 4, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz
The Tar Heels started this collegiate year and the projected best team in the nation. Several months later that fact remains the same as the final four kicks off tonight in Detroit. In the beginning of the tournament many people were skeptical about picking UNC to win it all due to Ty Lawson’s foot injury. He has showed that his injury has not been a factor. Hansbrough is playing determined basketball while Thompson and Danny Green have really started to click. Ellington has struggled a bit but he can explode at any moment. To get to this point, The Heels have defeated Radford, Lsu, Gonzaga and Oklahoma. Every one of these victories has been by 10+ points. The Heels are also 4-0 ATS in the tournament to date. While UNC can explode for 100+ points in any game, what has been a pleasant surprise is how fierce their defense has been. This is a team who gave up an average of 72 points per game during the season. In the elite eight against Oklahoma they only gave up 60 points against. The Villanova Wildcats are their opponent tonight in the final four. In terms of athleticism, speed and aggressiveness, the Cats have the personal to match the Tar Heels, no questions asked. The challenge will be the height and talent inside that Nova lacks in depth wise. Looking at the NCAA basketball lines for tonight, the Tar Heels are 7 point favorites over Nova and the total is set for 106.5 points.
The Villanova Wildcats were the #3 seed in the East region. They defeated American, UCLA, Duke and the #1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers to get to Detroit and compete for the national title. The criteria of a Cinderella never consists of a power house team from the Big East conference. In this years tournament we haven’t had any great low seeded stories. The #12 seeded Arizona Wildcats from the Midwest region made it to the sweet sixteen, but do you want to call a team with three future NBA players a Cinderella? I sure don’t. So as the Wildcats take the court tonight they have drawn the attention of the neutral fan as the “underdog”. What a dangerous underdog they are. Scottie Reynolds will not be intimidated by Lawson one bit and Dante Cunningham will do just fine inside. Nova is 3-1 ATS in the tournament. Coach Jay Wright has emerged as one of the top coaches in the nation, he has his team believing they should win this game. It will be interesting to see how effective stud defenders Reggie Redding and Dwayne Anderson will be.. My x-factor in this game will be…The Referees. Whoever gets in foul trouble first, could end up behind. Villanova has scored 75+ points in each game they have played. In order for anybody to have any chance of derailing the Heels they must have the explosiveness to match them. The Cats do, they will have a legit chance of winning tonight. Here is my position by position breakdown for the game.
Scottie Reynolds vs Ty Lawson (EDGE-Ty Lawson of UNC, not by much) - This one has had me torn for a week. Yes Lawson has the better numbers and is the ACC player of the year. However you can’t put a number on heart. Scottie is this teams emotional leader and has showed how clutch he could be with his game winning runner against Pittsburgh. Both of them have speed and both are excellent passers. Lawson is a bit stronger while they each hit three’s at a similar level. Slight advantage for UNC. This one will be very close
Reggie Redding/Corey Fisher/Corey Stokes vs Wayne Ellington/Bobby Frasor (EDGE-Redding/Fisher/Stokes of Villanova) – This three headed monster gets the big nod here. Redding is a shut down defender while Fisher and Stokes are as good a combo of bench players as you’ll see. Fisher is probably the most dangerous one of them all. He is a lights out shooter who plays big minutes. He is also the 6th man of the year. Ellington is prob the best out of all these guards but it is the combination that will give the advantage to Nova.
Dwayne Anderson vs Danny Green (EDGE-Danny Green of UNC) - What a great match up this will be. Anderson is the better defensive player. The rest of the attributes go to Danny Green. He is a better shooter, he’s more athletic, he is a better rebounder and a much more explosive open court player. This will be a key position got UNC to win. If Anderson comes out and out performs Green, Nova could pull this out.
Dante Cunningham vs Tyler Hansbrough (EDGE-Tyler Hansbrough of UNC) - Another one of those match ups that tell me Cunningham will come out and play the game of his life. However, these are done by facts and production. Hansbrough is an All-American, 2008 Player of the Year and he averages 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game. Cunningham does have the ability to guard him in the paint as well as from 10-12 feet out. This one will be close.
Deon Thompson vs Shane Clark (EDGE-Deon Thompson of UNC) -This is the most irrelevant match up of them all. Both players are above average defenders and below averages passers for big men. Thompson is a better offensive player then Clark. Not much to say here, slight advantage Thompson as he is a better scorer.
Documented Record:
25-23 OVERALL
10-7 BEST BET
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If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Final Four Betting Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels
- Michigan State vs North Carolina: NCAA Championship Preview & Predictions
- North Carolina Odds to Win the NCAA Tournament
- Final Four Betting Preview: Villanova Wildcats
- Radford vs North Carolina: NCAA Basketball Tournament Preview & Odds
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