NOVA-JOYED!
The top seed in the Big East Tournament is on its way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Backtoback Big East regularseason champion Villanova reminded the league why it is the heavy favorite to claim its first conference tournament title in 20 years, tying a Big East Tournament record with 17 3pointers in a quarterfinal rout over ninthseeded Marquette, 8449, on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Carrying the momentum from their best ever regular season, the Wildcats (302, 162) won their 14th straight game, setting up a semifinal showdown with No. 4 Providence on Friday night. Villanova won both meetings during the regular season, by an average of 17 points.
The Wildcats last reached the Big East Championship game in 1997, one of the few accomplishments to have eluded Jay Wright during his 14year run as coach. So, even though seeding in the NCAA Tournament may have a bigger impact on Villanova’s national championship hopes, Wright is more interested in cutting down the nets at the Garden than with where the Wildcats will be placed on Selection Sunday.
“Winning the Big East Tournament ... I’m a little different this way, but to me, it would be far more rewarding than getting a one seed,” Wright said. “It does not affect our thinking at all, but winning the Big East Tournament affects our thinking a lot.”
After falling to Seton Hall in a stunning upset in last year’s quarterfinals, the Wildcats opened with a 132 lead and never let go, holding Marquette under 40 percent shooting from the field.
For a few minutes, the Golden Eagles (1319, 414) bridged the massive talent gap, cutting the deficit to two, 1816, with 11:27 left in the first half, as firstyear coach Steve Wojciechowski enthusiastically handed out highfives as hard as he used to slap the floor as a point guard at Duke.
After Wright stopped the momentum with a timeout, sixthman Josh Hart swung it back the Wildcats’ way, scoring 11 straight points — surpassing his scoring average in less than three minutes — and sparking a 170 run, while Marquette went nearly seven minutes without a point.
Hart finished with a gamehigh 20 points, hitting 5of7 3pointers.
“I just felt confidence,” Hart said. “When those guys just find you when you’re wide open, after like the first couple, you just get in a rhythm, get a confidence, and my teammates did a great job finding me. I really wasn’t thinking. I was just shooting.”
The Wildcats led 3921 at halftime, hitting 10of16 3pointers, while holding Marquette’s leadingscorer Matt Carlino — who hit 8of12 3pointers in Wednes day’s win over Seton Hall — scoreless through the first 20 minutes. He finished with only five points on 2of11 shooting.
Villanova closed as strong as it started, with its balanced attack assisting on 22 of its 30 field goals, while making over 58 percent of its 3pointers (17of29).
The problems that plagued Marquette became no less puzzling as the game went on, the Wildcats a riddle that perhaps no team will be able to solve.
“I think Villanova is a team that could win a national championship,” Wojciechowski said. “I think they have all the ingredients. They play like they did [Thursday], I don’t know how you beat them.”