Chalkiest region gives no confidence to No. 1 seed Villanova

BOSTON—Sporting the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's chalkiest region doesn't give Villanova coach Jay Wright any special confidence heading into Friday night's game against West Virginia.

The Wildcats were together in a Pittsburgh hotel room last weekend when they watched top overall seed Virginia's unprecedented first-round loss to No. 16 seed University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

When it was over, there was no need for Wright to harp on the lesson.

"It was so impactful that you didn't have to say it," he said Thursday as Villanova hoped to avoid joining the slew of deposed favorites when it plays the fifth-seeded Mountaineers for the East Region's spot in the national quarterfinals.

"I had talked about it so many times, saying: 'This is going to happen. You've got to respect these guys,'" said Wright, who since 2010 has lost in the round of 32 twice as a No. 1 seed and twice as a No. 2 seed. "It wasn't a matter of fear like, 'Don't let it happen to us.' It's just:

Associated Press ■ West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2) and Daxter Miles Jr. (4) lead the team as they run during practice at the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Thursday in Boston. West Virginia faces Villanova in a regional semifinal tonight.