For Villanova Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbach USA TODAY Sports
BY THE NUMBERS
Villanova season stats (with NCAA rank):
Scoring offense:
77.5 (65)
Scoring defense:
63.6 (15)
Scoring margin:
13.9 (3) Rebounding margin: 1.9 (125) Field goal %: 47.6
(31)
Three-point %: 35.4
(134) Three-pointers made: 328 (14) Free throw %: 78.4
(2) Assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.47 (14)
The Villanova Wildcats had spent an entire regular season with the weight of failed expectations on their shoulders. They’d been reminded at every twist and turn that they hadn’t made it through the first weekend in the previous two NCAA tournaments.
With each regular-season win, they’d hear that it didn’t matter unless they got through the first weekend. With each loss, they’d hear it didn’t matter unless they got through the first weekend. So once they did advance to the Sweet 16, the Wildcats felt free from pressure. They’ve played that way, too, posting a commanding 23-point win against No. 3 seed Miami (Fla.) before knocking out the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Kansas, to reach the Final Four.
It’s no accident that this veteran group, led by one of the program’s all-time greats in point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, is playing its best basketball in late March. The core group of this team experienced those two early exits and knew what it would take to avoid them — and that included fixing the little things, such as turnovers and rebounding.
Coach Jay Wright likes this team because of its balanced attack, its leadership and its maturity. Josh Hart might score 25, or five different guys could be in double figures. Kris Jenkins is capable of personal 7-0 runs. Arcidiacono might be diving into the stands to keep a play alive. Or all three can happen at once.
What’s normally been the biggest knock on Villanova has been its threepoint shooting. If the Wildcats are on, they’re nearly impossible to take down. If they’re off, they’ve struggled … most of the time. Shooting 4-for-18 (22.2%) from beyond the arc against Kansas, they took out the best team in the tournament.
The Wildcats are playing with house money at this point; they’ve already made it past the first weekend. They’re in the Final Four for the first time since 2009. Why can’t they keep up this run and win their program’s second national championship?