PITTSBURGH — Delaware had an upset on its mind Friday afternoon.
The No. 15 Blue Hens came out strong, taking a seven-point lead against No. 2 Villanova with their efficient offense, something they kept up all afternoon.
Then the Wildcats’ offense woke up.
“I'm pretty sure we appreciated it,” Delaware guard Kevin Anderson said, responding to a 20-point loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “But as soon as we started appreciating it, they started hitting threes. So we couldn't appreciate it for too long.”
Delaware couldn’t stop Villanova from 3-point range, hitting 13 on 28 tries, coming in with the 36% success rate from deep: third-best in the Big East on 23.2 tries per game. It’s an offense that only got stronger, shooting over 50% from the field in each half, while draining all but one of its free-throw attempts.
It’s the offense Ohio State will see at some point Sunday, taking on the Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It’s an offense the Buckeyes are familiar with, last facing the Wildcats Nov. 13, 2019 and holding them to 51 points on 30.6% shooting, making 10 of their 30 attempts from 3-point range.
Guard Collin Gillespie was in Villanova’s starting lineup that day, making four of his 11 attempts from the field and only one of his five 3-point attempts for 10 points. And it was the first game that came to mind as the redshirt senior reflected on the Wildcats’ win against Delaware.
“What we've seen over the course of the year is (that) they are physical. They play in a great conference, well coached, they have a lot of great players. And we know they are physical and they are tough,” Gillespie said. “We did play them two years ago, and they beat us pretty good. So we know how -- their style of play, and the coaches are going to do a good job of putting the scouting report together for us, and we'll start to go over that (Saturday).”
That’s what Delaware saw in Villanova Friday afternoon: a disciplined and well-connected group that capitalized on each mistake it made.
But that’s just Villanova, Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby said, pointing to a team that has two national championships since 2016.
“They've been the model program,” Ingelsby said. “It hasn't been Duke, it hasn't been Kentucky, it hasn't been North Carolina, and it hasn't been Kansas. It's been Villanova.
“They put so much pressure on you on the offensive end with their ability to shoot the basketball. And they made 13 threes, but they had four guys that made two or more. And then they're so connected defensively. They're tough, they're physical, they know who they are, they're selfless. I could go on and on about how they play and how they do things. I think they're one of the three to five best teams in college basketball. So Jay (Wright) has built an elite, elite basketball program, and I think they're at the pedestal.”
With the return of Kyle Young and Zed Key, Ohio State was as connected as its been in weeks against Loyola Chicago, overcoming a horrid 3-point shooting day and a horrid turnover day with the best defensive performance the Buckeyes have put together in years.
But if anything, Ohio State’s confidence and connectedness is tied to its health.
“We haven't had the team we thought we were gonna have all year, but when we've had the group that's helped us win games, we've been a really good team. We've had really good wins,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “And I'm not putting all of our losses on injuries, by no stretch. We played poorly at times at full strength. But they make a difference, and I think that elevates the confidence of our guys.”
At full strength came ownership on the defensive end, something that stood out to Villanova head coach Jay Wright: the leader of the No. 9 offense in the country, per KenPom.
He sees the same intelligence Delaware brought early on against the Wildcats. But he sees something different, something that will prove to be incredibly impactful in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I think we played against a smart defensive team,” Wright said. “We're going to play against another smart defensive team in Ohio State and a much more physical team.”
