Sweet 16: Opening odds released for Villanova vs. Michigan meeting

Believe it or not, the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 round is already set. Although it feels like March Madness just started, the tournament is moving quickly – and there are now only 16 teams remaining after the field initially began with 68.

Looking at the Sweet 16 field, which includes three No. 1 seeds with Gonzaga, Arizona and Kansas, two No. 2 seeds with Duke and Villanova and two No. 3 seeds with Texas Tech and Purdue, there are some exciting matchups set to take place on Thursday and Friday as the teams battle for spots in the Elite Eight.

Among the eight Sweet 16 games, one of them features No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 11 Michigan on Thursday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. While the Wildcats defeated No. 15 Delaware and No. 7 Ohio State to make the Sweet 16, the Wolverines had to get by No. 6 Colorado State and No. 3 Tennessee to advance to this point.

Villanova, Michigan set for competitive matchup with Elite Eight trip on the line

Coming into Thursday’s marquee NCAA Tournament matchup, Las Vegas has released its initial odds for the game – with the numbers currently favoring Villanova, but not by much. According to the Vegas Insider Consensus, the Wildcats are five-point favorites over Michigan, with the over/under currently set at 135 total points.

Thursday’s game will mark the sixth all-time meeting between Villanova and Michigan and the first since Nov. 14, 2018, when the Wolverines recorded a dominant 73-46 win. Prior to that matchup, the two sides collided on April 2, 2018 in the national championship game – with the Wildcats taking home the trophy with a 79-62 victory. Villanova leads the all-time series 3-2.

The winner will face the No. 1 Arizona/No. 5 Houston winner in the Elite Eight this weekend.