Howard Smith-USA Today Sports
After needing overtime earlier in the week to defeat the Butler Bulldogs, the Villanova Wildcats took the lead early on and blew out foes Providence Friars 91-61.
From the start, Villanova’s hot shooting controlled the pace of the match, going 6-of-7 from the floor. As the game progressed, its shooting didn’t fail and it came from downtown and in the paint. On the night, the Wildcats shot a blistering 59.6 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from three. When a top 15 team is shooting this hot throughout the match, opponents have zero chances of winning. That was the case Sunday against Providence.
With the blowout victory, Villanova improves to 2-0 in Big East play. In order to stay atop the Big East standings and remain relevant around the nation, Villanova needs to repeat Sunday’s performance. It is understandable to not always shoot close to 60 percent overall every game, but that needs to be the goal.
The Wildcats’ strengths include the three-point system and finding the opening man inside the paint. If they can shoot well from both spots, opposing defenses will have trouble guarding them. Big East play involves top talent battling each other, and it is imperative teams shoot well. Villanova needs to stay calm and collected like Sunday. When it rushes three-point shots, most of them end up off the mark. In order to fix this, and keep its three-point shooting as a threat, it should take the extra pass and find the open shooter behind the arc.
If Villanova can repeat Sunday’s performance of hot shooting, it will remain successful in Big East play and make the 2014 NCAA Tournament, with zero speed bumps or detours along the way.
