West Virginia vs. Villanova live stream: Time, TV channel, how to watch NCAA tournament online

The Wildcats are the favorite to win it all. Favorites haven’t done so well in this tournament, though.

Villanova and West Virginia may gift the Sweet 16 with the best display of offense between two powerhouse programs. Both programs have rolled past their NCAA tournament first- and second-round opponents. The Wildcats knocked off Radford by 26 points, then Alabama by 23. The Mountaineers beat Murray State by 17 and Marshall by 23.

This game should be way more competitive than either team has had so far in the tournament. KenPom ranks Villanova as the No. 1 offense in the nation, and West Virginia at No. 11. The Wildcats are the nation’s 11th-best three-point shooting team, and third-best two-point shooting team, while the Mountaineers rebound their own misses at the fifth-best rate in the nation.

With West Virginia’s trap, its forcing the second-most turnovers in the country. This won’t be an easy game for ‘Nova. WVU is one of three teams that can say it beat top-ranked Virginia this season, and also has wins against Kansas State, TCU, Texas, and Texas Tech. They aren’t to be overlooked. But ‘Nova won’t let out easily. All four of the team’s losses came within single digits.

For Villanova, Mikal Bridges is the player to watch. The 6’7 forward is NBA Draft lottery bound, with a 7’1 wingspan and sweet-shooting stroke. He dropped 23 points on Alabama in the Round of 32, draining five of the eight shots he took from deep. He can get hot in a hurry, and can also defend guards or forwards.

For West Virginia, senior Jevon Carter is the key to victory. He may be the best guard on both sides of the ball the Mountaineers have ever had. He scored 28 points on 18 shots against Marshall and grabbed five steals. In the opening round he had 21 points, eight assists, and six steals.

Villanova is still the favorite to win though. Our Ricky O’Donnell has the Wildcats as the most likely team to win the championship out of the remaining 16 teams.

Sweet 16: Villanova vs. West Virginia

Date: March 23

Time: 7:27 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: March Madness Live