On Thursday, March, 24^th at 7:10 P.M. the (2) Villanova Wildcats will take on the (3) Miami Hurricanes in the third round of the 2016 NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Villanova is (31-5) on the season while Miami is (27-7).  “The Crowd” projects a final score of Villanova 75.7 –Miami 73 with an over/under of 148.7.  The Vegas Line has a final score of Villanova 72.5 – Miami 68 with an over/under of 140.5.

Scoring Margin: Villanova +13.9 Miami +8.7

Points per game: Villanova 77.5 Miami 75.4

Points allowed per game: Villanova 63.6 Miami 66.7

Field Goal Percentage Offense: Miami 47.7% Villanova 47.4%

Three Point Percentage: Miami 36.9% Villanova 35.1%

Free Throw Percentage: Villanova 77.5% Miami 75%

Field Goal Percentage Defense: Villanova 40.1% Miami 42.6%

Turnovers committed per game: Miami 10.9 Villanova 11.2

Turnovers forced per game: Villanova 13.8 Miami 11.7

Rebounds per game: Villanova 37.6 Miami 37.3

Assists per game: Villanova 16.5 Miami 12.5

Villanova has the advantage but teams are pretty evenly matched in all of the major statistical categories.  Villanova has signature wins against three ranked opponents: Xavier, Butler, and Providence.  Miami has signature wins over five ranked teams: Utah, Butler, Duke, Virginia, and Louisville.  The stats certainly favor Villanova but Miami has the stronger resume in terms of schedule strength.  My gut is telling me to pick Miami in a close one.

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