The Houston Cougars and Villanova Wildcats will battle Saturday night for a spot in the Final Four when they meet in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. The fifth-seeded Cougars (32-5) advanced to the Elite Eight with a dominant defensive performance in a 72-60 victory against Arizona on Thursday night. The No. 2-seeded Wildcats (29-7) shut down Michigan in a 63-55 victory in their Sweet 16 matchup later Thursday at the AT&T Center.    

Tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. ET. The Cougars are three-point favorites in the latest Houston vs. Villanova odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the Over-Under is set at 127 (Head over to our college basketball odds page for up-to-date odds on every game). 

Before you make any Villanova vs. Houston picks or 2022 NCAA Tournament predictions, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $1,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model has taken into account that the Cougars are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, allowing just 59 points per game (third in Division I). They also can score plenty, ranking 44th at 75.7 per contest. Their 17.6-point scoring margin is second-best in the nation. They held top-seeded Arizona to 33.3 percent shooting and blocked six shots Thursday night. Jamal Shead and Kyler Edwards combined for 40 points, and Shead had six assists and two steals. Edwards hit five of his nine 3-point attempts.       

The model also has considered that Villanova has been on this stage many times, making its fifth appearance in the Elite Eight under coach Jay Wright. It also plays strong defense, allowing  62.7 points per game (21st in nation) and outscoring foes by almost 10 (19th). The Wildcats had a poor shooting night against the Wolverines but held them to 34.4 percent from the field. Jermaine Samuels had 22 points and seven rebounds and added two blocks and two steals. Collin Gillespie scored 12 and had six boards.       

Now, the model has broken down Saturday's Villanova vs. Houston matchup from every angle and revealed its results. We can tell you the model is leaning Over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Houston vs. Villanova in Saturday's Elite Eight matchup? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Villanova vs. Houston spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!