VILLANOVA (34-4)
Head coach >> Jay Wright (17th season, 420-165; 542-250 in 24 seasons overall). Key players >> Junior guard Jalen Brunson (19.2 ppg, 4.6 apg) makes the Wildcats go. He was the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional and already has won two national Player of the Year awards (Sporting News and USA Today) and has been named to numerous All-American teams. Mikal Bridges (17.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is projected as a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Although he struggled offensively in Boston, sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo (12.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.5 apg) has been a valuable contributor off the bench. Road to San Antonio >> The Wildcats won all four NCAA tournament games by double digits, beating Radford (87-61), Alabama (81-58), West Virginia (90-78) and Texas Tech (71-59) to win the East Regional title and reach the Final Four for the second time in three years. National Championships (2) >> 1985 and 2016. Final Four appearances (6) >> 1939, 1971 (vacated), 1985, 2009, 2016, 2018. The skinny >> The Wildcats are the highest remaining seed in the tournament and the only team with players that have Final Four and national championship experience. Brunson, Bridges and Booth all played in the 2016 national championship game. Booth was the leading scorer in the 77-74win over North Carolina with 20 points. Villanova has more wins (134) in a fouryear span than any Division I team in history and are seven 3-pointer shy of breaking the NCAA record for triples in a season (442by Virginia Military Institute in 2006-07). The Wildcats need one win to tie the 2016 championship team for most victories in a season. They have six players averaging double figures and shooting 38.5 percent or better from 3-point range.