Villanova and Ohio State square off in second round of NCAA Tournament
Ohio State Buckeyes (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) vs. Villanova Wildcats (27-7, 16-4 Big East)
Pittsburgh; Sunday, 2:40 p.m. EDT
LINE: Villanova -5.5; over/under is 132.5
BOTTOM LINE: The No. 6 Villanova Wildcats play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats are 16-4 against Big East opponents. Villanova has a 3-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Buckeyes are 12-8 in Big Ten play. Ohio State is sixth in the Big Ten giving up 67.6 points while holding opponents to 41.4% shooting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Collin Gillespie averages 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats, scoring 15.9 points while shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc. Justin Moore is shooting 37.7% and averaging 10.2 points over the last 10 games for Villanova.
Justin Ahrens is shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc with 1.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Buckeyes, while averaging five points. Malaki Branham is shooting 57.3% and averaging 12.3 points over the last 10 games for Ohio State.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 9-1, averaging 65.7 points, 31.9 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 4.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 56.9 points per game.
Buckeyes: 5-5, averaging 65.3 points, 31.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 4.6 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.0 points.
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