Villanova Basketball: Hot shooting carries the Wildcats over West Virginia
Villanova basketball avoided turnovers in the second half and hit threes against West Virginia. Jay Wright and Co. are headed to the Elite Eight.
Welcome back to the Elite Eight, Villanova. After being ousted in the second round last season by Wisconsin, the Wildcats are back where they belong. The No. 1 seed out of the East Region has done exactly what they were supposed to do in the Big Dance so far. They were arguably the most dominant team in the field through the first two rounds thanks to their hot shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. That aspect of their game did not change against West Virginia in the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats shot a blistering 13-for-24 (54.2%) from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers. There is just no stopping Jay Wright’s crew when they get going from three like they have been over the past couple of weeks. In my opinion, Villanova firmly belongs as the favorite to win the national championship. They are led by the frontrunner for National Player of the Year in Jalen Brunson and he did not disappoint against West Virginia.
The point guard was absolutely dominant for Villanova in their Sweet 16 matchup. While shooting 8-for-15 from the field, Brunson dropped in a game-high 27 points. He also dished out four assists as his teammates provided a boost as well. Big man Omari Spellman put up an excellent performance as well with 18 points and 8 rebounds despite dealing with the tall and athletic frontcourt of West Virginia. Eric Paschall (14 points) and Mikal Bridges (16 points) also provided quality outings.
On the other side of the floor, West Virginia consistently ran its offense through Jevon Carter (12 points, 8 assists) and Daxter Miles Jr. (16 points). The duo did everything that they could to pull off the victory but it was not enough in the end. Teddy Allen, Esa Ahmad, and Sagaba Konate also posted double-digit performances to help the Mountaineers.
In the end, though, foul trouble ended up being a major problem for West Virginia. The Mountaineers’ used every ounce of their bench but 28 total fouls are hard to overcome.
For Villanova, this marks their second appearance in the Elite Eight in the last three years. The Wildcats won the national championship on the last occasion the program went this far and that is the end goal once again this season. Jay Wright has the veteran leaders and elite go-to players in Brunson and Bridges to make it happen. Oh, and it helps that Wright is clearly one of the best coaches in all of college basketball.
Villanova’s win over West Virginia was another instance of how good they can be when dictating the pace. The Wildcats can play lockdown defense but they are at their best when running the floor and knocking down 3-point shots. That was the difference once again in this game.
Also, the team did a fairly good job limiting their turnovers. West Virginia is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to forcing mistakes and Villanova turned the ball over 16 times. This might seem like a high number but it is really is not considering the Mountaineers elite defense and the total number of possessions in this game.
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Villanova was one of the favorites to win the national championship before the NCAA Tournament started. Now that they have reached the Elite Eight, the expectations have not changed one bit. Cutting down the nets in San Antonio is the ultimate goal and it is definitely within reach for the Wildcats.