BOSTON (AP) No. 5 seed West Virginia (26-10) vs. No. 1 seed Villanova (32-4)
Third round, East Region; Boston; Friday at 7:27 p.m. EDT.
BOTTOM LINE: Villanova is one of two top seeds left in the tournament following losses by Big East Conference rival Xavier and Virginia. The Wildcats were a No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament when they lost to eighth-seeded Wisconsin in the second round. West Virginia has been one of the best-looking teams in the field so far, with wins of 17 and 23 points in the first two rounds. The Mountaineers are trying to get to the Elite Eight for the first time since their Final Four run in 2010.
FAMILIAR POSITION: The Mountaineers have reached the Sweet 16 in eight of their last 12 NCAA appearances, including last season. Coach Bob Huggins is 4-4 in this round for his career, but just 1-3 at West Virginia. His lone victory was a 69-56 win over Washington in 2010.
FRIENDLY CONFINES: Villanova had good luck the last time it played in the East regional in Boston. The Wildcats were a No. 3 seed in 2009 when they beat second-seeded Duke in the Sweet 16 and top-seeded Pittsburgh in the regional final to earn a Final Four berth under Jay Wright.
OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE: West Virginia shot over 50 percent in both of its tournament wins. It is 68-5 under Huggins when shooting 50 percent or better. Villanova held its first two opponents – Radford and Alabama – to 40 of 107 shooting from the field (37.4 percent) and 59.5 points per game.
QUOTABLE: ”I steal everything I can. I watch tape, and if somebody’s doing something pretty good, we’re doing it the next day. I’ve never had an original thought in my life.” – West Virginia coach Bob Huggins on he’s how changed since he coached at Cincinnati. He also coached previously as Kansas State and Akron.
—
More AP college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 and https://www.podcastone.com/ap-sports-special-events
25% Bonus via Western Union
