March 24, 2016
That Villanova team that dominated Iowa on Sunday? Yeah, they got on the plane and traveled to Louisville.
The No. 2 Wildcats put on an offensive clinic against the No. 3 Miami Hurricanes, shooting 62.7 percent from the field and ringing up 92 points:
1.60 points per possession for Villanova. The best offensive game for any team the ENTIRE SEASON
— Jordan Sperber (@hoopvision68) March 25, 2016
As Jay Wright said after the game, “We haven’t played this well all season.” To be fair, I’m not sure that anyone in the country has. Villanova just absolutely throttled an excellent basketball team.
Next up for ‘Nova is the South Regional Final against either No. 1 Kansas or No. 5 Maryland on Saturday. Here are a few things I saw from the Wildcats’ easy win on Thursday:
• It felt like ‘Nova was simply quicker to 50/50 balls. Whether that was an offensive rebound or a loose ball after a deflection, the Wildcats almost always got the ball faster. On the broadcast at one point, Tracy Wolfson reported that Jim Larranaga told his team, “They are outworking us.” It sure felt that way.
Villanova's propensity for leaping clean over media row at least once per game is uncanny.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 25, 2016
• This time, the Wildcats weathered Josh Hart’s foul trouble. Villanova’s early exit at the hands of NC State last year had a lot to do with its star wing getting in early foul trouble. Hart picked up two quick ones tonight, but he regrouped and didn’t get a third for the rest of the half. Out of the locker room, the 6’5” junior scored at will in isolation to extend the Wildcats’ six-point lead.
• Ryan Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins’ shot-making was absurd. Each guy had 21 points, and the two players combined to go 9-13 from beyond the arc. Many of these were rhythm jumpers as a result of good offense, but not all of them…
• Whoever took the over (140) was feeling good at halftime. ‘Nova led 43-37 at the break and the Wildcats shot a blistering 16-25 (64 percent) from the field and 6-8 (75 percent) from deep. The Canes were en fuego, as well. Miami shot 14-21 (66.7 percent) from the field and 7-11 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Villanova (66.7%) and Miami (64.0%) combined to shoot 65.2%, the best shooting first half in the tourney in 3 years. pic.twitter.com/yO08oZVcVM
— ESPN (@espn) March 25, 2016
The refs employed a curiously tight whistle, and both teams saw stars get into foul trouble early (Davon Reed, Sheldon McClellan, and Hart). Besides the crazy good offense, Villanova won this game by sticking to the zone in the second half and letting Miami take bad shots on their own. The Hurricanes’ shot selection left a lot to be desired.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
