Iowa Hawkeyes vs Villanova Wildcats Point Spread Picks

Iowa went through a late season shooting slump, but this team is very talented and deep, capable of attacking opponents inside and out. The Hawkeyes are a veteran team that finished #3 in the Big 10 in scoring, #5 in scoring margin (+9.2), and #4 in three-point shooting. They have excellent frontcourt size in seven-footer Woodbury (7.8 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game) and 6-9 Uthoff (19 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game), along with a pair of outstanding guards in Jok (16.2 points per game) and Gesell (6.2 assists per game). They face a Villanova squad that lives by the three-pointer, but is suspect on defense and under the glass, ranked second to last in the Big East in rebounding offense. They got routed by Oklahoma (78-55) and Virginia (86-75) during the regular season, and lost to Seton Hall (69-67) in the Big East tourney as -6 chalk. The Wildcats are also 3-7 ATS in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games. Play Iowa.

A battle of unbeatens as Villanova and Iowa clash! That won't bother Villanova, a team that is on a 19-9 ATS run, including 4-0 ATS against the Big Ten. It's also a step down in competition, as the Wildcats upset No. 2 Kansas 63-59 in the semifinals Friday night. And what defense! The Jayhawks went the last eight minutes of the half without a basket, going 0 for 7 from the floor with five turnovers during that dismal stretch. The Wildcats are 14-4 ATS against a team with a winning percentage above .600, and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games.  Iowa (7-0) really hasn't been tested, needing to go OT two games ago in a 3-point win over Xavier as a 6.5 favorite. Grab the talented (and unbeaten) dog that is playing super defense. Play Villanova.