East. Villanova hoping to escape early trouble.
VILLANOVA, PA.» Villanova has a more urgent goal as a No. 1 seed than a Final Four.
Try, surviving opening weekend. The Big East Tournament champion Wildcats (30-4) earned yet another top seed in the NCAA Tournament and will open the East Regional on Thursday in Pittsburgh against the winner of the LIU Brooklyn-Radford game.
The Wildcats have a 2016 national championship that serves as the crowning moment under coach Jay Wright. But the program has been known as much for its early NCAA exits as it has for a 159-21 record with four Big East regular-season titles in the last five seasons.
The Wildcats were the overall top seed last year and lost to Wisconsin.
Villanova lost opening weekend as a No. 1 seed in 2015, and as a No. 2 seed in 2014 and 2010.
They failed to get out of the first weekend in 2011 and 2013. Villanova has advanced out of the opening weekend only twice in the last 10 seasons — when it reached the Final Four in 2009 and when Kris Jenkins hit a 3 at the horn to win it all in 2016.
“I think it’s been different each year,” Wright said. “I don’t see one consistent issue. I looked at each one of them independently.
“I did try and find some consistencies. The only thing that was consistent was tough matchups.”
He’ll find plenty ahead in the East. Purdue (28-6) is the No. 2 seed and plays 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton. Texas Tech, Wichita State, West Virginia and Florida are among the teams that could also come out of the East should Villanova stumble.
Wright, who became Villanova’s career wins lead in the Big East Tournament, has the Wildcats rolling behind their B-listers: Big East player of the year Jalen Brunson, all-Big East pick Mikal Bridges and national title game leading scorer Phil Booth. Brunson matched a career high with 31 points in Villanova’s overtime victory against Providence to clinch the tourney title.
The Wildcats spent eight weeks at No. 1 in the AP top 25, have no seniors and NBA prospects Brunson and Bridges are not expected to return next season, increasing the feeling to make a Final Four run now.
“It’s not pressure, it’s just an expectation, I guess,” Brunson said. “We know what we’re capable of doing.”