West Virginia vs. Villanova: NCAA Tournament game preview and prediction

Last season, West Virginia lost to top-seeded Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Will Villanova make it a case of deja vu?

TV Schedule: Friday, March 23, 7:27 p.m. ET. TBS

Arena: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts

There have been a ton of surprises and upsets in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Yet for these two teams facing off, it was never a doubt either were in trouble.

Unlike the University of Virginia, Villanova (32-4) had no problem handling their 16-seeded opponent in Radford. But their most impressive performance came next against the nine seed Alabama Crimson Tide. The Wildcats blew the doors off early off, hitting a school-record 17 three-pointers. Their 31 total made shots from deep is the most of any remaining Sweet Sixteen team.

West Virginia (26-10) has been just as good in the team’s path to the Sweet Sixteen, scoring almost 90 ppg in their wins over Murray State and Marshall. The Mountaineer’s path opened up after Wichita State fell to Marshall, but the Thundering Herd had no answers for “Press Virginia”.

The matchup that everyone will be focusing on is at the point position, with Villanova’s Jalen Brunson (a frontrunner for the Wooden Award), and West Virginia’s Jevon Carter (repeat Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year winner). These two are going to go at it for 35+ minutes.

The Mountaineer’s offense has been fantastic, but will the ghosts of their second-half struggles come back to haunt them? There were three games (Kansas twice and Kentucky) this season where Bob Huggins team had a double-digit lead late in the second-half. But offensive droughts doomed them, which essentially dropped them to a four seed.

Next: WVU must go big to beat Villanova

Villanova has the best scoring offense in the country, but the Wildcats have had games where their defense has let them down. Will it happen against a hot Mountaineers squad?

Prediction: Villanova 83 – West Virginia 72