If the job against Asheville was any indication, Villanova is playing at a high enough level to beat any team in the tournament, but matchups against No. 15 seeds are rarely an indication of anything except why the opponent was a No. 15 seed.
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For the first 17 minutes or so, the Bulldogs lived up to their nickname. “Couldn’t buy tickets. I don’t know the details, he was just telling me at halftime”. Chatori Major leads the team with 13.9 points per game, adding 44 assists and 36 steals. Now the Wildcats shift their focus to finding a way to reach the Final Four and potentially have a strong ending to the season.
Be on the lookout for how the Bulldogs defend the three-point shot against the Wildcats.
Kentucky has won 14 of 16 at home and is a formidable challenge for UNC Asheville, winners of five straight including the Big South Conference Tournament.
O’Neill: I think past disappointments weigh a ton on Villanova. “We want to be able to have our teammates, and the past players who have played at Villanova, really look at us and appreciate what we have done for the program and what our whole senior class has done, ” Arcidiacono said.
Arcidiacono had two 3-pointers in that stretch including a killer at the buzzer give Villanova its largest lead of the game.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright responds to questions during a news conference before a second-round men’s college basketball game against Iowa in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in NY. “But like all great players, he recognized what we were doing and had a heck of a game”. Also returning will be junior David Robertson, who started the first half of the season before being sidelined by injury, and junior forward Will Weeks, a key part of coach Nick McDevitt’s regular playing rotation. You already know that the Pirates win a Big East tournament what, every 23 years or so?
Asheville mixed up its defense on Ochefu, doubling him right away sometimes, staying on the shooters other times.
From there, Ochefu took over.
Still, Wright has the better team and they need to forget all of this second-round stuff and just play their game. Freshman guard Jalen Brunson, who played just nine minutes in the loss to Seton Hall, understands that Wright wanted to go with a bigger lineup because he’s 6-foot-1 and Villanova was getting beaten on the boards. Villanova scored 21 points off the miscues.
“When Kris picked up his second foul (in the first half), that’s when Daniel started to become more effective”, Wright said.
With 3-pointers falling at the perimeter for Villanova, it also helped pave the way for Ochefu to work inside.
PREDICTION: The Wildcats will get past Iowa in the second round, but fall to Miami (FL) in the Sweet 16. “Hopefully we can take it one game at a time and win, and hopefully make a good run for it”.
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As a team, the Wildcats shot 57.9 percent overall (33-for-57) and 46.4 percent from 3-point land (13-for-28).
