Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary’s 2017: Date, time, and TV schedule for NCAA Tournament 1st round game

The Villanova Wildcats’ quest to repeat as national champion begins Thursday — and as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the path to cut down the nets in Phoenix is the easiest one there is. ‘Nova’s title defense has gone about as well as head coach Jay Wright could have hoped.

The defending champions breezed into January with an undefeated record, knocking off quality opponents like Purdue, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, and Creighton before running into the team that would be the bane of their existence in 2016-17. Two of the Wildcats’ three losses on the year came against Butler, who found a way to limit an explosive offense to just 62 points per defeat.

But the Bulldogs early exit from the Big East Tournament paved the way for Villanova to claim the conference crown and stand atop the big bracket’s 68-team field. The Wildcats are led by the nation’s most explosive backcourt. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson are the engine that powers the NCAA’s top team. The duo has combined for nearly 34 points and more than seven assists per game this winter, making more than 40 percent of their three-point shots in the process.

While the ‘Cats lack a game-changing presence up front, their lack of size — only one player taller than 6’7 averaged more than six minutes per game this season — has yet to be their Achilles’ heel. While Purdue big men Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas combined for 42 points (on just 23 shots) against Villanova back in November, the play of Hart and Brunson was enough to keep the team afloat in a 79-76 victory.

Their overmatched opponent Thursday won’t be able to create the same kind of mismatch problems up front.

The Wildcats will have their hands full with All-NEC guard Elijah Long, an efficient jack-of-all-trades who averaged more than 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game this winter. Long is quick enough to get into the paint and cause trouble, but also an efficient shooter (40.2 3PT%) and solid defender.

He and Junior Robinson create a poor-man’s version of the Hart-Brunson backcourt. Robinson, all 5’5 of him, may struggle to create his own shot against the Wildcats’ bigger defenders, but he’s a heat-check shooter who ripped off 21 points against Michigan back in November.

However, the Mountaineers lack the size up front to take advantage of ‘Nova’s biggest weakness. To win Thursday, Mount St. Mary’s will have to beat the Wildcats where they’re the best; with their guards and wings.

Villanova shouldn’t have much trouble dispatching Mount St. Mary’s, but the Mountaineers may be due to snap the 16-seed curse. Here’s where you can watch Thursday’s action.

Game time: 4:30 p.m. ET
How to watch: CBS
How to livestream: March Madness Live