An opening-round NCAA Tournament matchup will see the 13th-seeded Ohio Bobcats (16-7) hit the court as 7-point underdogs against the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers (18-6) on Saturday at Assembly Hall (Indiana). The contest starts at 7:15 PM ET on truTV. Here’s what you need to know when filling out your brackets for this 4-13 matchup.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 16, 2021, 12:10 AM ET.
Betting Odds
| Favorite | Spread | Favorite Spread Odds | Underdog Spread Odds | Total | Over Total Odds | Under Total Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | -7 | -110 | -110 | 131.5 | -108 | -112 |
Keys to the Game for Virginia
- The Cavaliers hold a winning record against the spread this year, going 12-11 ATS.
- The Cavaliers record against the spread as at least a 7-point favorite is above .500 at 7-6.
- Virginia has covered the over/under the majority of the time, in 13 of 23 games (56.5%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Virginia Leaders
- The scoring leader for the Cavaliers this season is Sam Hauser, who averages 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
- Jay Huff is the Cavaliers leading rebounder, pulling down 7.1 per game, while Kihei Clark is their best passer, averaging 4.6 assists in each contest.
- Hauser leads the Cavaliers in three-point shooting with an average of 2.6 threes per game.
- Reece Beekman and Huff lead the Cavaliers on the defensive end, with Beekman leading the team in steals averaging 1.2 per game and Huff in blocks averaging 2.6 per contest.
Keys to the Game for Ohio
- The Bobcats have a 13-7 record against the spread, covering in 65% of their games.
- When they play as at least 7-point underdogs, the Bobcats have a record ATS of 5-1.
- The Bobcats and their opponents have hit the over in more than half of their matchups this year — 11 of 20 (55%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Ohio Leaders
- The Bobcats go-to guy, Jason Preston, leads the team in both scoring (16.6 points per game) and assists (7.2 assists per game).
- Dwight Wilson’s 7.5 rebounds per game paces Ohio’s rebounding effort. He also adds 14.9 points per game.
- The Bobcats are paced by Ben Roderick from long distance — he connects on 2.4 shots from downtown per game.
- The Bobcats leaders in steals and blocks are Preston (1.6 steals per game) and Ben Vander Plas (0.6 blocks per game).
Computer Picks
Pick ATS:
Cavaliers (-7)
Pick OU:
Over (131.5)
Prediction: Virginia 74, Ohio 67
Predictions are calculated by a data-driven algorithm (raw power score) that ranks head-to-head matchup results within a closed network of games. Prediction confidence is determined by the delta between each team’s raw power score.
Last 5 Games
| Virginia | Ohio | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 3/11/2021 | Syracuse | Win | 72-69 | 3/13/2021 | Buffalo | Win | 84-69 |
| 3/6/2021 | Louisville | Win | 68-58 | 3/12/2021 | Toledo | Win | 87-80 |
| 3/1/2021 | Miami (FL) | Win | 62-51 | 3/11/2021 | Kent State | Win | 85-63 |
| 2/24/2021 | NC State | Loss | 68-61 | 2/27/2021 | Buffalo | Loss | 86-66 |
| 2/20/2021 | Duke | Loss | 66-65 | 2/25/2021 | Eastern Michigan | Win | 86-67 |
Against The Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
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