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Ohio State should be a +4.5 underdog versus Villanova.
The Buckeyes were beaten by Penn State 71-68 in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
E.J. Liddell scored 25 points to lead the Buckeyes. Freshman of the Year Malaki Branham added 16 points and Joey Brunk had 10.
This was followed up with a first round tournament win against Loyola IL. Liddell scored 16 points, Branham added 14 and Ohio State shut down the 10th-seeded Ramblers.
They've beaten Villanova recently, 76-51 back in 2019.
But no opponent the Buckeyes have faced this season ranked higher in the final AP poll than Villanova (No. 6) and the Wildcats are a team coming off of eleven wins in their last twelve games. That includes a most recent easy win against Delaware in the tournament.
Justin Moore scored 21 points, Collin Gillespie added 14 and second-seeded Villanova had little trouble with the 15th-seeded Blue Hens, breezing to an 80-60 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Villanova went 8-5 in the regular season against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
Villanova is 25-3 Straight Up as a favorite this season.
The Wildcats pay $2200 for every $100 bet to win the Championship.
- Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com
