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In a game that was never in question from the opening tip, the Villanova Wildcats took down Patriot League champion Lafayette 93-52. It was a dream performance for those in Villanova's camp, as the Wildcats were able to hit shots from the perimeter while also dominating the paint and the glass en route to their second round victory. Jay Wright's squad advances to the Round of 32, where they'll take on the winner of LSU and North Carolina State on Saturday.
As for the aftermath of this game, here's three things we learned.
Villanova Would Win a Log Rolling Contest with the Balance They Have
Do you need a visual?
Got it? Okay good.
The top seeded Wildcats showed just how good their balance is as six players finished with at least 10 points. Phil Booth came close off the bench, chipping in nine as well. That's pretty good.
Villanova shot 63% from the floor, including 11-22 from beyond the arc. No one is beating the Cats when this team shoots lights out like they did against Lafayette. On top of that, they out-rebounded the Leopards 30-19, dominating the glass. If Villanova is hitting their shots AND dominating the glass, it's going to be a long night for any team.
Let The Big Cats Eat
Daniel Ochefu and JayVaughn Pinkston came to play tonight. Ochefu scored 14 points and was perfect from the floor, shooting 5-5 and brought down 10 rebounds. Pinkston had a monstrous game himself, missing one of his five shots, chipping in 12 points and adding 8 rebounds of his own. Villanova usually gets the majority of their offensive production from the likes of Ryan Arcidiacono, Dylan Ennis and Josh Hart, but if Ochefu and Pinkston can continue to dominate like they did against Lafayette, it will help facilitate this offense, especially on nights where their perimeter shooting is not as on target.
Villanova was afraid of Lafayette....Seriously
"We were afraid of (Lafayette) and when these guys are afraid of you, they play hard." - Jay Wright.
Jay Wright said that.
No, really.
If Villanova was afraid of being the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, it certainly didn't look like it. Wright was worried about the fact that Lafayette can shoot the three-ball, as they shot 41% beyond the arc on the season. But Villanova made sure to shut down Fran O'Hanlon's perimeter shooters. Lafayette shot only 4-18 from distance. And unlike Villanova, the Leopards could not establish themselves down low, leading to their downfall.
Lastly, the Big East is 3-0 as of this writing.
Take that, everyone who said the Big East isn't a great conference.