Sweet 16 Preview: Villanova (2) vs. Miami (3)

Sweet 16 Preview: Villanova (2) vs. Miami (3)

Line: Nova (-4)

Location: KFC Yum Center (Louisville, KY)

Starters:

Villanova

G- Ryan Arcidiacono (Sr)

G- Jalen Brunson (Fr)

G- Josh Hart (Jr)

F- Kris Jenkhins (Jr)

C- Daniel Ochefu (Sr)

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Miami

G- Angel Rodriguez (Sr)

G- Sheldon McClellan (Sr)

G- Davon Reed (Jr)

F- Kamari Murphy (Jr)

C- Tonye Jekeri (Sr)

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Outlook:

This south regional contest projects to be one of the closer sweet 16 games. Villanova will have its hands full with one of the best teams from college basketball’s best conference, the ACC. This Miami team is a veteran and well coached group. It is an explosive offensive unit that ranks highly in terms of offensive efficiency. It thrives on the ability of Rodriguez and McClellan to get to the rack and score. Rodriguez is an inconsistent player. He’s small but quick and can light up the defense on any given night. He was really the engine behind Miami’s win against a really good Wichita team in the round of 32. McClellan, another senior, is a dynamic scorer who can put the ball the basket off the bounce or from deep. The Wildcats will also have to contend with Catholic League product Ja’Quan Newton, who is an effective weapon off of the bench for the Canes.

Villanova played its best game of the season against Iowa last weekend and will need to bring that same level of defensive intensity and effort to stop this Hurricane offense. If Nova can utilize ball pressure to force the erratic Rodriguez into some turnovers, then they will be able to disrupt Miami’s offense. The Wildcats were one of the best defensive teams in the country this year, but they don’t block a lot of shots so they need to make sure they can contain Miami’s ability to get to the rim. If they can do that, the Cats can limit shots at the rim and from outside the arc for Miami. On offense, Villanova needs to make sure to keep the offense balanced. Against Iowa, they attacked the basket early with drives and off cuts which then opened up their outside shooting game. They also were able to get easy points off of turnovers. If Nova can stay balanced and within its offense, then they should be able score well enough to win.

Prediction: Villanova 70, Miami 67

This should be a very close game. Miami is solid on both offense and defense. They are also an incredibly veteran and versatile team. Still, I think Villanova has enough solid perimeter defenders to keep Miami out of the lane and to disrupt their offense. The emergence of freshman Mikal Bridges has been huge down the stretch. I think the combination of Bridges and Hart should be able to slow down McClellan just enough. I also think Arcidiacono’s length could be a problem for the smaller Rodriguez. Villanova will slow those two down enough and clean up the defensive glass. On the offensive end, Villanova will stay calm and execute their gameplan. If they can attack the basket and make their open outside shots, that should be just enough to get past an incredibly talented Hurricane’s team.