Villanova vs. Providence: 3 keys to the Big East title game

Villanova’s Three-point shooting

The Wildcats are going to shoot the ball from deep – a lot actually. Their 365 made three-pointers are ranked fourth nationally, and shots at a 40% clip, good for 20th in the country. The shooting is spread throughout the main players with only Paschall shooting under 39% from deep. That means that five guys can make 2/5 three-pointers, just impossible to stop.

When it comes to Providence, they’re a pretty solid defensive unit when it comes to guarding the long ball. The Friars are ranked in the upper-half in terms of giving up threes, and percentage-wise they’re 35th in the country at 32%.

In the two games between the Wildcats and Friars, it can be argued that three-point shooting ultimately decided those games. In the win, Villanova shot 12/24 from deep. But in the loss, they shot just 3/20 from deep. That was the game that Providence played much more aggressive, which threw off the Wildcats clearly.

The goal for Villanova should be to get another hot start, similar to how they got against Butler. This is a team that doesn’t give up too many leads, so a few threes could make this an early game. A rough start and the underdogs will get much-needed confidence.