No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Ohio preview for NCAA Tournament first-round matchup

The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 18th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. No. 4 seed Virginia will face No. 13 seed Ohio in the first round. Game time has yet to be announced but we will update this article with that and game odds as soon as it comes available. For now, we’ve got a preliminary preview of the two teams to get you ready for March Madness!

Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Saturday, March 20
Game time: 7:15 p.m.
TV channel: truTV
Location: Assembly Hall

Odds: UVA -10.5
Over/Under: 132

No. 4 Virginia

The Virginia Cavaliers have established a brand of basketball where everybody knows what’s coming at this point. Virginia ranks No. 357 out of 357 Division 1 college basketball teams that played a game this season in possessions per game, so the Cavaliers play the slowest style of basketball. Virginia will enter the NCAA Tournament with a better offense than defense in adjusted efficiency, as their offense ranks No. 15 in that category.

Virginia went on a streak of 11 victories in 12 games before struggling down the stretch in late February with three straight losses. Individually, Marquette transfer Sam Hauser leads the team with 15.5 points and puts up 6.7 rebounds per game. Jay Huff, another senior forward, leads Virginia with seven rebounds per game to go along with 13.3 points per matchup, which is second on the team.

Record: 18-6, 13-4 ACC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 12
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 32
ATS: 11-12-1
Over Total: 14-10
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +2000

No. 13 Ohio

The Ohio Bobcats claimed the MAC title with a strong run in the conference tournament capped off by an 84-69 win over Buffalo. One of the best teams in the field in terms of offensive efficiency, they rank 13th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 55.8.

Balance is the key for the team from Athens, as all five starters average double figures per game. Senior forward Dwight Wilson averages 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, but it’s the ball movement that makes them a headache and a tough out: They average 17.9 assists per game, good for 6th nationally.

Record: 16-7, 9-5 MAC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 29
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 174
ATS: 14-7
Over Total: 12-9
Odds to win NCAA Championship: N/A