Coach Jay Wright acknowledged that the fear of making awful history did cross his mind.
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It’s remarkable, really, this system Jay Wright has put into place at Villanova.
Three players are averaging at least 7.9 points per game for Radford, they are Polite Jr.
The Wildcats play on Saturday against the victor of Virginia Tech-Alabama.
In 2016, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu and the senior-laden Bench Mob won it all. The Highlanders then won three games in four days to win the Big South tournament, capped off by a 55-52 victory over Liberty in the championship game back on March 4.
Thanks to Jalen Brunson, the Wildcats own one of the best offenses in the nation and have been a great “over” team for bettors.
The last two years, SportsLine’s computer simulation correctly predicted nine out of 12 double-digit NCAA Tournament upsets in the first round with their computer algorithm. The formula is tried and tested.
UCLA (21-12) bristled at having to play in the First Four for the first time in its history; the Bruins have been to 18 Final Fours.
The Highlander faithful watched as their team flashed across the screen.
The Wildcats led by as many as 33, just about hitting their season scoring average of 87.1. I like Butler because they take care of the ball better than Arkansas, but this will be a tight game.
The Wildcats and Highlands tip off at 6:50 PM ET. We love playing with each other.
When Eric Paschall dropped in a 3-pointer in the second half, it was the 400th of the season for VU. Romone Saunders led Wagner’s team in scoring with 17 points, while shooting 6 of 16 (37.5%) from the field.
OK, so they’re not ideal. But, you can say that about almost every contender.
The Highlanders (23-13) posed no threat at becoming the first 16 seed to ever knock off a No. 1 in the tournament. Radford vs Villanova tv channel schedule is on TNT. The Wildcats will face the victor of an opening round matchup between Virginia Tech and Alabama. For Alabama to win, guard Collin Sexton will have to be on top of his game. Carsen Edwards is an excellent player and the Boilers have two 7-footers in Issac Haas and Matt Haarms, but Coach Matt Painter’s rotation goes only about seven deep. Some of that was because of foul trouble.
Villanova (31-4) played to near-perfection for the first 30 minutes and everyone played a role.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: After finishing sixth in the Big South last season, Radford, in southwestern Virginia, was picked in preseason polls to finish near the bottom of the conference again. The Boilermakers can shoot and pound it inside with seven-footers Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms. Overall, Villanova is 58-36 in the Big Dance.
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What happens from there?
