In an NCAA tournament defined by chaos, Villanova seemed to exist as the one sure thing. The Wildcats spent 14 weeks during the season at No. 1 in the polls. They were the betting favorites at the start of the tournament. They won their first two games by a combined 49 points. If any team was a safe bet to make the Final Four, it looked like Villanova.
Villanova’s scorching offense is the reason the Wildcats are national title favorites
The Wildcats have hit more three-pointers through the first three games of the NCAA tournament than any team ever.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
West Virginia tried to throw a wrench in that, turning up the defensive pressure and putting the Wildcats on their heels in the Sweet 16. Villanova was pushed, but eventually its talent was too much to overcome.
In a 90-78 win over West Virginia, Villanova established itself as a worthy favorite in this tournament. No team is playing better basketball than the Wildcats right now.
Villanova navigated WVU’s press thanks to a huge game from senior point guard Jalen Brunson, who poured in 25 points. Brunson is the engine for Villanova, but he’s not a one-man show. This team looks so powerful because there are so many different ways they can beat you.
Villanova’s offense is historically good
The Wildcats are simply on fire offensively in this tournament. They’ve scored at least 80 points in all three tournament victories, touching the nets with the type of efficient offense we’ve been seeing all season.
Against West Virginia, Villanova made 13-of-24 three-pointers, good for 54 percent from behind the arc. That follows similar hot shooting nights against Radford (14 makes at 52 percent) and Alabama (17 makes at 41 percent).
Nova’s 44 threes through the first three games of the tournament are the most in NCAA tournament history.
Villanova is No. 1 in the country in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. It’s having the second best offensive season since the site started tracking efficiency in 2002 — trailing only Frank Kaminsky’s 2015 Wisconsin squad.
Nova shoots 60 percent on two-pointers and 40 percent on threes. It rarely turns the ball over. It has a star at point guard in Brunson and a group of supplemental scorers who can also get buckets in a pinch.
Villanova has so many players who can create their own shot
How good is Villanova? The team has two players ranked in the top-five of KenPom’s national player of the year rankings. Brunson is No. 3 and co-star Mikal Bridges is currently No. 5.
Bridges has worked himself into an NBA lottery pick thanks to his length and improvement as a shooter. Bridges canned five three-pointers against Alabama in the round of 32 and went 3-for-5 from deep vs. West Virginia.
Omari Spellman is Villanova’s secret weapon. The redshirt freshman center scored 18 points and hit four three-pointers in the Sweet 16 win. How many teams have a 6’9, 245-pound center who can stretch opposing defenses and still make above the rim plays on both ends like this?
That’s not even mentioning Phil Booth and Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova’s two scoring guards who provide support to Brunson.
Villanova has shooting at all five positions. It has players all over the roster who can break you down off the dribble. Oh yeah, the defense is ranked No. 20 in the country now, too.
The Wildcats look like the favorites right now. It might not mean much given all the chaos we’ve seen in this tournament, but it still counts for something.
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