Villanova Basketball: 3 keys for Wildcats matchup vs No. 17 Tennessee

VILLANOVA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Justin Moore #5, Caleb Daniels #14, Brandon Slater #3, and Chris Arcidiacono #4 of the Villanova Wildcats react against the Howard Bison at Finneran Pavilion on November 16, 2021 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

4 of 4

Kyle Foster Howard Bison Eric Dixon Villanova Baskeball (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

3. Do not let Tennessee get hot from deep

Each of Rick Barnes’ last five teams at Tennessee has shot very few three-pointers, leading to a low total of their points coming from deep. Through two games of the 2021-22 campaign, Barnes seems to have opened up his system to a more modern approach. He certainly has the talent to do so.

The Vols currently rank second in the country (to Villanova) among high-major schools in point distribution from 3-point range (i.e., percentage of total points), per KenPom. They also rank 28th overall in 3-point percentage, shooting 42.9% from deep to start the season.

Villanova coaches, players, and fans have seen the effects of teams not guarding the 3-point line over the last decade as they are usually the ones taking advantage of it.

Through Nova’s first three games they are 299th in 3-point defense with their opponents shooting 40.0% from deep. The Wildcats are coming off of a game in which Howard shot 12-24 from three. Jay Wright has almost certainly made an emphasis of this heading into this matchup against Tennessee, so this isn’t as much concerning as it is intriguing.

dark. Next. 2021 NIT Tournament Hall of Fame Tip-Off preview

There would be no excuse for Nova to come out and get beaten from 3-point range by the Vols.