Reynolds started a couple games this season, and his best effort of the year came when Ochefu was out with a concussion against Providence and Reynolds had 19 points and 10 repoints. The Hawkeyes got as high as No. 3 in the polls and Villanova spent some time in the No. 1 slot.
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After virtually an entire season of answering questions about how the 2015-16 Villanova season would be defined by the second NCAA game despite back-to-back 30-win seasons, Arcidiacono is delighted to move on from that and look ahead to what he hopes will be a long tournament run.
“I said, ‘Guys, if you walk into Nashville Park outside to play a pick-up game and their guys showed up and we showed up and nobody had their colors on and nobody knew who anybody was, nobody ever went into a pick-up game thinking you’re going to lose, ‘” the Middle Tennessee head coach said on CBS Sports Radio’s Moose & Maggie Show. “The season’s a grind”.
“I’d say they did a very good job of moving the ball, and I think we didn’t come out with the intensity defensively that we needed against a team like that”, Gesell said.
Iowa (7) began their NCAA Tournament play against a tough tenth-seeded Temple team that pushed them to the limit. “They just play within themselves”.
Villanova will face No. 3 seed Miami (Fla.) in Louisville next weekend.
“That was one of my favorite games in college so far, ” said Arcidiacono, a 6-foot-3 senior who is Villanova’s No. 3 scorer and unquestioned leader. “Sweet 16 by itself I think is a big deal for us”.
Villanova has lost in the second round each of the last two years as a top two seed. They’ve been one of the best teams in the country all season long, but March Madness doubts lingered considering their recent slip-ups.
Everyone from the Wildcats team was involved in the onslaught as Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Kris Jenkins were all phenomenal throughout the game. Hawkeyes senior forward Jarrod Uthoff hit an early three-pointer and his team jumped to a 6-5 lead with 18:37 left in the first half.
Brunson struggled in the Big East Tournament, scoring just 12 points in three games, but in two NCAA Tournament showdowns, the freshman point guard has found his rhythm. But despite Iowa’s less impressive 22-10 record, the Hawkeyes are riding a crest of a wave thanks to some good wins in January and February.
Villanova shot 60.6 percent in the half and had just four turnovers, none of which Iowa scored off, and it turned the Hawkeyes’ eight turnovers into 12 points. The Cats held a 19-12 rebounding edge with Daniel Ochefu pulling down eight.
“When I shook hands with Fran, I just said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, ‘” Wright said.
Middle Tennessee shot 55.9 percent from the floor, including 57.9 percent from three-point range (11-of-19) to earn its first tournament win since 1989. A month ago, the Hawkeyes looked like a team more than capable of making a Final Four run, having secured a top-five spot in the polls, sitting atop the Big Ten standings and having swept Michigan State in their season series.
“It’s hard to come back”. He said, ‘I want to go to Iowa, and I want to make a name for myself.
The Ducks dominated Holy Cross yesterday evening, flying to a 91-52 win that was the biggest blowout of the first 3 days, and set them up with a game Sunday against St. Joseph’s. “I think it made them a little more confident and comfortable”. They taught UNC Asheville a lesson in a 86-56 demolition, so they will be looking for a repeat performance against a much stronger team in Iowa at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Villanova sprinted past Iowa Sunday to reach the Sweet 16.
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The Hurricanes are 27-7 and a Philly native, Ja’Quan Newton of Neumann-Goretti, is averaging 10.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. Keep an eyes on this balancing act when we watch the Villanova Iowa game live streaming or on TV today.
