Villanova Wildcats are ready for March Madness after Big East tournament title
By Dan Parzych
After winning the Big East tournament title, the Villanova Wildcats have their eyes set on becoming the champions of March Madness.
March Madness was in full swing Saturday night for the Villanova Wildcats when looking how tough of a game the Big East tournament championship was against the Providence Friars, as it took Jay Wright’s team everything they had just to pull through for the win in overtime. Now, the question becomes whether the Wildcats can continue this success over the next few weeks when it matters the most during the NCAA tournament.
After cruising to easy wins over Marquette and Butler, Villanova knew Providence was going to give them quite the battle in the Big East tournament championship, especially since they were playing with a ton of confidence after a thrilling upset over Xavier the night before. Not to mention, it was the Friars who ended up on the winning end during their previous meeting with the Wildcats back in the middle of February, so it was no surprise to see Saturday’s game end up being a nail biter.
Once again, it was strong performances by Mikal Bridges (25 points) and Jalen Brunson (31 points) that led Villanova to a 76-66 win in overtime over Providence, as these two stars have come through in all sorts of clutch ways all season. And with the Wildcats expected to earn a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday, the duo of Bridges and Brunson will need to come through more than ever to help this team avoid a disappointing outcome like last year when they lost in the second round to Wisconsin.
Next: Get ready for March Madness with brackets
In a matter of hours, Villanova will learn their opponent for the team’s first matchup on either Thursday or Friday, once the selection committee officially reveals the bracket for this year’s big tournament. All season, the Wildcats have been viewed as one of the favorites to be cutting down the nets at season’s end, and after seeing their determination to come out on top of the Big East tournament championship over the Friars, it’s time for the real challenge. If all goes well over the next couple of weeks, Villanova could be in for their third NCAA championship in three seasons, which would be an amazing feeling.