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Villanova now an even bigger favorite in Sweet 16 matchup vs. Miami

Villanova opened as a 3.5-point favorite, but that number is bigger now.

Maddy Siegrist and the Villanova Wildcats are favored to beat Miami and reach the Elite 8. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Maddy Siegrist and the Villanova Wildcats are favored to beat Miami and reach the Elite 8. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)Read moreMitchell Leff / Getty Images
    by Jeff Neiburg, Action Network
    Published 

A lot has changed for Villanova in the week since the NCAA Tournament kicked off last Friday. The Wildcats were seen as long shots to emerge from their portion of the bracket and reach the Final Four, and even longer shots to cut the nets down after winning a championship in Dallas.

That latter reality is still unlikely, but reaching the Final Four got a lot more realistic after top-seeded Indiana was knocked off by ninth-seeded Miami in the round of 32.

Villanova is favored to reach the Elite 8, even more so no in the days after the markets opened. Here’s a look at the latest odds for the Sweet 16 game between No. 4 Villanova and No. 9 Miami.

Odds from FanDuel as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

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Villanova vs. Miami Sweet 16 odds

Point spread: Villanova -4.5 (-105)

Moneyline: Villanova -188; Miami +152

Total: 130.5 points

That point spread is on the move. It opened at Villanova -3.5 and moved to -4.5 in the two days since the markets opened, signaling that money was coming in on the Wildcats.

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Unsurprisingly, Villanova has been led by All-American Maddy Siegrist, who leads the tournament in scoring entering the second weekend. The Wildcats covered easily in each of their first two games, winning 76-59 and 76-57 as favorites of 11.5 points and 6.5 points.

Miami hasn’t been great through two games, but the Hurricanes have certainly been good enough. The Hurricanes were sixth in the ACC and nearly missed the tournament entirely. But they’re playing with house money. Miami has been fueled by its defense and rebounding numbers.

Will the Hurricanes be able to clamp down on Siegrist? Many have tried, but few (really, only UConn) have prevailed.

The winner of Villanova-Miami takes on the winner of LSU-Utah in the Elite 8.

Villanova is now just +330 to reach the Final Four, down from +1100 when the tournament started and up from +100 when Sweet 16 markets opened earlier in the week. LSU is now the clear -135 favorite to emerge from that portion of the bracket in Greenville.

Villanova is now 55/1 to win the national championship.

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