Betting Previews: 3/26/2022

Today we will be previewing two games, both on the NCAA Tournament Slate.

Houston @ Villanova

Defense will be front and center in this Elite Eight matchup between the Houston Cougars (32-5) and the Villanova Wildcats (29-7). Villanova fought past No. 11 seed Michigan 63-55 Thursday to reach the Elite Eight for the third time in the past six tournaments, and the fifth time in 21 seasons under coach Jay Wright. The Wildcats won national championships in 2016 and 2018. Houston finds itself in the Elite Eight after an impressive 72-60 win over top-seeded Arizona in Thursday’s late game in San Antonio. The Cougars never trailed and pulled away late as Jamal Shead dropped 21 points and Kyler Edwards added 19, including a dagger 3-pointer late. The winner of this game will advance to the Final Four, to face the winner of Kansas-Miami.

Arkansas @ Duke

With Coach K three wins away from retiring as a 6-time National Champion, the Arkansas Razorbacks (28-8) will look to play spoilers again when they take on the Duke Blue Devils (31-6) for the West Region finals. The Razorbacks are coming off of an impressive win over former title favorites and No. 1 seeded Gonzaga, 74-68. Another upset would propel Arkansas to its first Final Four appearance since 1995. The Blue Devils on the other hand, defeated Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, by a score of 78-73. That victory marked the 100th career NCAA Tournament win for Coach K. These teams have met twice in the tournament before, with Duke winning in the 1990 Final Four and Arkansas winning in the 1994 National Championship. The winner of this game will advance to take on the winner of North Carolina-St. Peters in the Final Four.