After an NCAA tournament opening slate illuminated by some massive upsets and dramatic overtime finishes, Delaware hoped to do the same against Villanova Friday.
The Blue Hens battled with the Wildcats for the first 12 minutes, but then Villanova warmed up from long range before pulling off for an 80-60 NCAA tournament opening round victory.
It was a bad start for Nova, who saw Delaware with as many as seven and a low start between the two teams. Then, an in-one by Brandon Slater, followed by the Wildcats’ first three-pointer by Collin Gillespie, seemed to kick the Cats offensively.
“It took us a while to adjust to their speed and intelligence as we tried to figure out what they were doing,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We just could not watch them. Their defense was very intelligent. It took us a while to figure that out as well, and I think our guys did it.
Villanova finally leveled the game, then on to a game-changing 23-2 run that started in the first half and ran into the second.
The Wildcats ended the first half with 15-2 to go into the break with a 35-25 lead. Then they started the second half strong, with an 8-0 blitz to solidify their lead in double digits, where it remained for the rest of the match.
Once there, Villanova never slowed down. It shot 50% or more in total in both halves and was burnt by long range. The Wildcats buried 13 three-pointers as a team, with five players contributing at least one basket from long range and a quartet of players joining two or more times from above the arc.
On the other side of the court, Delaware tried to catch up with threes, but the Cats caught them from above the arc, limiting them to just 3-of-20 (15.0%) from deep.
“I think we played a good defense of the team, and it will only prepare us for Sunday,” said Villanova guard Collin Gillespie. “We know how great Ohio State team is and how dynamic they are offensively and defensively, and how physical they are, so I think tonight has prepared us a little bit for that.”
It was a balanced effort for the Cats, with five different players shooting in double figures. Justin Moore led the way with 21 points in the game. He also had three boards, six assists and one steal. Jermaine Samuels had 15 points, nine rebounds – including seven on the offensive line – with three assists, one block and one steal. Gillespie added 14 points and 4 assists. Caleb Daniels finished with 13 points off the bench, while Eric Dixon had 12 points and six rebounds.
“We just read their ball screen cover, and if they come to help, see who helped,” Moore said of what allowed Villanova to block his insult. “Once we figured that out, we were able to figure out when to take our open shots, make the extra pass and find the big post.”
For Delaware, Jyare Davis beat the Blue Hens with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and six rebounds. Andrew Carr made his five-shot attempt en route to a 13-point trip. Jameer Nelson Jr. was limited to eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. Dylan Painter had six points.
At the end of the game, Samuels clashes with Villanova assistant coach and former player Dwayne Anderson as he tries to chase a loose ball.
“The ball went out of bounds, and I tried to jump out of his way, but he tried to catch me,” Samuels said. “I think he moved his head in my elbow. I tried to get out of the way, but it was an accident. Guess it shows how much he loves us by trying to catch me, but I’m sorry that it happened.
Wright offers his take on the sideline collision.
“Dwayne Anderson would have been really angry at Jermaine if he had not gone for that loose ball,” Wright said. “I would also say that Dwayne Anderson played for us, was worse injured than that and never came out of the game. Now he’s leaving the bench as coach when he’s hit like that. He’s pretty good about it. ‘Nose. I’m not a doctor, but it does not look good to me.
Wright also opened up Longino’s situation. The Freshman Guard was seen not wearing a uniform and was reported to have an injury to his left knee. Even though he did not specifically mention the injury, his status does not look good.
“I do not think we will have him one Sunday,” Wright said. “We will miss him. Chris Arcidiacono and Bryan Antoine have to go up, and I think they will.
Next up for the Cats is a second-round matchup with Ohio State, led by National Player of the Year candidate EJ Liddell and former Butler coach Chris Holtmann.
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