Radford vs Villanova 3/15/18 - NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions

The 16th seeded Radford Highlanders (23-12) will play the top seeded Villanova Wildcats (30-4) on Thursday in the first round of the East Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Radford won its First Four game on Tuesday over LIU Brooklyn 71-62 behind the 13 points each from Ed Polite Jr. and Travis Fields. Radford has now won seven straight games.

Villanova beat Providence for its second consecutive Big East title on Saturday. The Wildcats were led by Mikal Bridges who scored 25 points and made a pair of 3-pointers during overtime. Villanova has now won five straight games. Ed Polite Jr. leads the Highlanders in scoring and rebounding averaging 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Carlik Jones is the only other player who averaged double figures in scoring with an average of 11.8 points per game. Travis Fields Jr. leads the team in assists with an average of 2.2 per game. As a team, Radford is shooting 42.8% from the field and 35% from 3-point territory. During the regular season, Radford scored an average of 67.4 points per game, while allowing an average of 64.3.

Jalen Brunson leads the Wildcats in scoring and is the leader in assists averaging 19.4 points and 4.7 assists per game. Five other Villanova players are averaging double figures in scoring, and Omari Spellman is the rebounding leader with an average of 7.9 per game. As a team, Villanova is shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.8% from 3-point territory. During the regular season, the Wildcats scored an average of 87.1 points per game, which is No. 1 in the nation, while allowing an average of 70.9.