’Nova needs to solve West Virginia’s defense to advance
Villanova will need to solve West Virginia’s swarming defense to advance
RADNOR » Eric Paschall had to think for a moment when asked if Villanova has faced a team with a press like West Virginia.
His answer was short and to the point.
“We haven’t faced anyone who presses like they do,” the 6-foot-9 junior forward said.
Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Phil Booth, Donte DiVincenzo and head coach Jay Wright had similar answers when asked the same question.
No one presses like the fifthseeded Mountaineers (26-10), Villanova’s opponent in the East Region semifinal Friday night at TD Garden in Boston (7:27 p.m., TBS).
It’s a modern-day version of the “40 minutes of Hell” Arkansas employed under Nolan Richardson from 1985-2002. The Mountaineers press after made baskets. They press after missed shots. They hound you at every turn. The concept is to be as disruptive as possible. “They’re relentless,” Booth said. That’s why the Mountaineers have come to be called “Press Virginia.” And the numbers back it up. West Virginia is third nationally in total forced turnovers (595), 10th in turnovers forced per game (16.53) and 14th in steals per game (8.1). Point guard Jevon Carter leads the nation in total steals (108) and is third in steals per game (3.0). The 6-3 senior is the point man in the press.
The NCAA does not keep points off turnovers as an official statistic, but the odds are the Mountaineers are among the national leaders in that category, too.
“The great challenge is that you just never see that during the year,” Wright said. “You play 35 games and you don’t play anybody that plays that way and it’s hard to simulate. If you’re at Kansas, and you’re a junior, you’ve played against it eight or nine times so you get a feel for it. I think we’re just going to have to get in there and take a hit, like being in a boxing match, take a couple of punches, hope it doesn’t affect you too much and get used to it and grind through it.”
Even if you do beat the press, you’re still not out of danger. The Mountaineers are fourth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (14.03) and No. 16 in blocked shots (5.2) and No. 24 in free throw percentage (76.7). Forward Sagaba Konate is fourth in blocked shots (3.23).
“It’s not just the press,” Wright said. “They are a tremendous shot-blocking team. They’re a tremendous rebounding team. They get extra possessions. They average 80 points per game. They score at a high rate and that’s what gets them into their press. So your half-court defense has to be good, because if they’re scoring on you, they’re into their press. They do a lot of things extremely well. They get credit for their press, but they execute their half-court offense very well.”
The Mountaineers are 15th in scoring (80.2) and 24th in free throw shooting (76.7) so they are hardly one dimensional. However, defense is their trademark. West Virginia has held 12 teams under 65 points and 19 under 70. The Mountaineers are undefeated in those games. Among the victims were Virginia (68-61) and Texas Tech (6663 in the Big 12 semifinals).
“They’re at you for 40 minutes,” Brunson said. “They’re pretty fast on both ends of the floor, which is a little different. Usually a team that plays fast just plays fast offensively and doesn’t worry about the defensive side of the ball. They’re different.”
Protecting the basketball is critical, and the top-seeded Wildcats have done pretty well in that department for a team that leads the nation in scoring (86.9). Villanova is third in scoring margin (+16.6), fifth in field goal percentage (50.3) and 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.2) and 17th in free throw percentage (77.4).
Villanova is 13th in fewest turnovers per game (10.4). Having a plethora of players who can handle the ball the way Villanova does helps keep the turnovers to a minimum. Brunson, Bridges and Booth all have national championship experience.
DiVincenzo and freshman Collin Gillespie are capable ball-handlers, and Paschall and freshman forward Omari Spellman have brought the ball up on occasion when teams did press the Wildcats.
Those teams, though, weren’t West Virginia, which looks to create havoc at every turn.
“We just have to do what we do,” Brunson said. “We can’t change. We have to stick to what we do, know the scouting report, execute the game plan and really play as a team.”
*** NOTES » The Nor’easter hitting the East Coast forced West Virginia to alter its travel plans, according to the Associated Press. The Mountaineers left for Boston Tuesday to beat the storm. Villanova’s travel plans have not changed, an athletic department spokesperson said. The Wildcats are slated to leave Wednesday night. Weather permitting, of course. … Villanova is 22-20 all-time against WVU and 12-11 when West Virginia was a member of the Big East from 1995-96 through 2010-11. Wright went 3-3 in six meetings with Huggins during those Big East days. … The team that has led the nation in scoring has only won the title twice, North Carolina in 2005 and LoyolaChicago in 1963. The last time the Wildcats were No. 1 in scoring was 1950 when they averaged 72.8 points per game.