2016 NCAA Tournament, Iowa vs. Villanova halftime notes

The Villanova Wildcats are out to a 25-point lead over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Brooklyn after a brilliant first half of play. The 'Cats are up 54-29, shooting the lights out at Barclays Center with a vocal and boisterous fanbase watching on.

'Nova already has three players in double figures as Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins have notched 10, 10 and 12 points respectively. Efficiency's the name of the game as well as the trio has combined to shoot 12-of-20 from the field and 4-for-8 from the 3-point line. Phil Booth and Ryan Arcidiacono are two and three points away from joining that hydra for the Wildcats in double figures as they each finished with eight and seven points.

The 'Cats are shooting 60.6 percent from the field, 58.3 percent from the 3-point line and an impeccable 100 percent from the free throw line after seven attempts from the stripe.

The other key for Villanova has been their tenacious effort on defense. Ball pressure has been tunred up to 11 so to speak, as the Wildcats have forced eight turnovers and picked up 12 points off those turnovers. They've held Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok to just 11 combined points on a 4-for-10 from the field, as the Hawkeyes look lost on offense in general thanks to the Wildcats' ferocious effort on the defensive side of the ball.

Iowa is shooting 40 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the 3-point line but given the fact that their defense isn't in check, those usually solid numbers look completely dismal.

Villanova has led for 17 minutes and 49 seconds of this ball game as there were just three lead changes and one occurrence when the game was tied up.