NCAA Tournament odds: Betting action on Villanova-Winthrop is one-sided
The Wildcats are 6.5-point favorites for a game that will have plenty of attention among sports bettors nationwide.
Villanova was an intriguing contender for the national championship, but then Collin Gillespie got hurt and the bandwagon emptied faster than you can say “torn ACL.”
When the NCAA draw came out on Sunday, the Wildcats were seeded fifth in the South Region and the action started to flow in almost immediately on Winthrop, the 12 seed. Since 2009 and entering this weekend, No. 12 seeds are 27-14-3 against the spread vs. 5 seeds, according to VSIN sports.
Winthrop is hot and Villanova is missing its Big East co-player of the year.
“There’s a mystique about the 5-12 matchup,” said DraftKings’ director of operations .
Adding to the popularity of this game among sports bettors is that it’s the final one on the board for the first full day of March Madness in two years.
“It’s the last game of the day. Every parlay will be going to it,” said Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill U.S. “If you’re winning, you’re betting a little higher on that game. And if you’re behind, you’re probably chasing a little. That will probably be the biggest bet game of the day.”
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Villanova opened around 6-point favorites, got up to 7 briefly, but has settled in at 6.5. The over/under is 143.
The Wildcats lost to Providence the night Gillespie got hurt (when they were 4.5-point favorites) and to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament (as 8.5-point favorites) in their first game without him.
Many sportsbooks reported Friday afternoon more than 70% of money wagered and tickets written in this game was on Winthrop. At PointsBet, the Eagles accounted for a staggering 82% of the money on that game.
The Borgata in Atlantic City took a $25,000 play on Winthrop late Friday afternoon. [We’re writing] two tickets on Winthrop for every one written on ‘Nova, so far,” said Tom Gable, the director of the sports & race book at the Borgata.
Winthrop is 23-1 with their only loss to UNC-Asheville on Jan. 29. They beat Campbell in the Big South championship by 27, but have not played anyone on Villanova’s level -- with or without Gillespie -- this season.
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“We’re definitely going to need Villanova, for sure,” Bogdanovich continued. “Winthrop’s one of the really, really [popular] public ‘dogs. We’re going to need Villanova really big, which is rare. In the NCAA, when the public gets a ‘dog in their head, there’s no stopping them.”