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Big East Tourney Preview: Villanova as hungry as ever heading into MSG

03/08/2017, 11:30am EST
By Marley Paul

Josh Hart (above) and Villanova are headed to New York to try and complete the Big East sweep. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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Josh Hart’s coming-out party in the 2015 Big East Tournament -- earning Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring 53 points off the bench in three days -- served noticed to the rest of the league that although Villanova carries a “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” mentality, the East Coast power had a game-changer on its hands.

Then it was Kris Jenkins crafting a storybook postseason the subsequent March, when he dropped nearly 20 points per game in the conference tournament before capping the season with “The Shot” that engraved him in college basketball history.

Now the Wildcats enter Madison Square Garden with possibly the biggest target a Jay Wright-led squad has ever worn on its back fresh off a fourth consecutive regular-season title to add their national championship defense. But no team thrives in the World’s Most Famous Arena like Villanova, which has won nine of 10 games in the arena over the past three seasons. 

In that same span, St. John’s, which plays routinely in the Garden during the regular season, has etched out 13 wins in 26 attempts there. Villanova’s trip to play the Red Storm in mid-January brought out 17,309 recorded attendees, easily the biggest crowd the Johnnies have welcomed all season. 

“I just don’t think there is any conference in the country that has the intensity and passion in the stands like the Garden,” Wright said Tuesday leading up to the 2017 tournament. “I don’t feel teams get after it in conference play like they do in the Big East. There’s some vibe being in the Garden, being in Manhattan, the Big East, the physicality. 

“I watch all of the other games, they’re great. But there’s something unique about the Garden, especially if you make it to Friday or Saturday. Friday or Saturday night in New York City at the Garden, the intensity is off the charts.”

A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is seemingly a lock for the Wildcats at this point, regardless of the results this week. That won’t deter Wright, who compartmentalizes the season by the preseason, nonconference games, conference games, and tournament play, from hitting the reset button as he readies his team to avenge a two-point loss to Seton Hall in the Big East championship game last year.

“I don’t think about that game too much,” Hart said of the narrow defeat, only their fourth loss in over 365 days. “I think about the details, but not that game. That game was definitely humbling and we didn’t play Villanova basketball for 30 of the 40 minutes and that’ll kill you. We only played Villanova basketball that last ten minutes and it was a completely different game. 

“We know that’s what we have to do now. If we don’t pay attention to detail or focus on the little things, it’s going to be the same outcome.”

So with the regular season complete, erase the 28-3 record Villanova posted despite Phil Booth missing most of the season with inflammation in his knee following a May procedure plus Darryl Reynolds leaving a void inside for the past month with a rib injury.

It won’t help them win another game this season. Instead, they’ll harp on the principles Wright has filtered into his program over the years -- unselfish ball movement, 100 percent effort on the hardwood from tip off to final buzzer -- and seize a new opportunity to showcase the familiar brand of Villanova basketball. 

“In tournament play, you’re starting all new,” Wright added. “Every team is coming in saying I’ve got a chance to win this tournament,” he said. “Every team is fresh and feeling hungry about their opportunity. No matter what we did in the regular season, we have to feel just as hungry. We have to anticipate this opportunity just as much. We can’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything.”
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Big East Awards
As league awards continue to roll out leading up to the tournament, Villanova’s imprint on the league is represented as five key rotation players have been honored by the conference. Hart’s senior campaign led to a no-brainer All-Big East First Team selection. He was joined by former five-star recruit Jalen Brunson, both unanimous selections. Kris Jenkins earned an honorable mention.

A pair of younger guys garnered some acclaim, too. Donte DiVincenzo was named to the Freshman Team following a redshirt season that he says allowed him to pick up the intensity of college basketball. Mikal Bridges was one of three players to win Defensive Player of the Year -- splitting the crown with Hart and Creighton’s Khyri Thomas.

“His length is a big part, but his intelligence is also a big part,” Wright said of the 6-foot-7 Bridges. “He plays the top of our press. He’ll guard point guards, he’ll guard forwards. He’s got to know the personnel and their tendencies. He’s a really bright defensive player.”
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Big East Tournament Path
No. 8 St. John’s/No. 9 Georgetown winner on Thursday, Noon. 
Semifinals: vs. No. 4 Marquette/No. 5 Seton Hall winner on Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Championship: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
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Here’s a look at the rest of the field:
Favorites
Villanova: There's Villanova, and then there's the rest of the league. In a conference projected to send 70 percent (!) of its members to the NCAA Tournament, the defending champs haven’t shown many cracks in their interior as they coasted to yet another regular-season title in the “new” Big East. Another stud senior class -- led by Hart, who posted a 28.3 Player Efficiency Rating -- has the Wildcats poised to compete with anyone in the country this March.

Butler: Despite having its four-game win streak ended at home in the regular-season finale -- to a Seton Hall team itching to claim an at-large big -- Butler remains atop the Big East power rankings of teams-not-named Villanova. The Bulldogs swept the defending national champs this season, and they sit firmly as a No. 3 seed in the west region, according to multiple NCAA bracketologists, thanks to a 10-3 record against Top 50 RPI. 

Dark Horses
Providence: One of the surprise stories of the league, they turned a preseason ninth place prediction to a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament thanks to a hot finish to the regular season that saw Providence respond to losing four of five with six straight wins, including victories over Big East Nos. 2, 4 and 5 seeds. The departure of two-time Big East Player of the Year Kris Dunn plus Wilmington, Del., native Ben Bentil could have stifled this program but instead they return to the postseason action with four scorers averaging double-digits. 

Marquette: Among the most potent offenses in the nation, the Eagles have eclipsed 90 points in three of the past four games -- all wins. On the season, Marquette leads the NCAA in 3-point percentage (43 percent) while draining over 10 each outing. The other end of the court has been unkind to Steve Wojciechowski’s club as they sit in the bottom-third of in scoring defense (74.8 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (45.7). In a four-games-in-four-nights setup, teams like this can storm to the finish line or flame out on arrival. 
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Players to Watch
Trevon Bluiett (Jr./Xavier) : A proven scorer, he'll be relied upon heavily to lift Xavier favorable out the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament with co-star Edmond Sumner suffering a season-ending injury on their last trip to the Garden.

Kyron Cartwright (Jr./Providence): Cruising comfortably atop the Big East leaderboard in assists per game, the junior guard is handing out 6.8 helpers on a squad that offers a bevy of scoring options, including Cartwright, who has boosted both his point total (5.9 to 11.3) and efficiency (36 to 41 percent) with an increased role from last year.

Angel Delgado (Jr./Seton Hall): A forward that has to be accounted for every step he takes on the court, Delgado transformed into a double-double machine. His league-leading rebounding season (13.1 per game) laps the field as the second and third place runner-ups’ total (410) barely edges past the 394 Delgado grabbed.

Marcus Foster (RS Jr./Creighton): An All-Big East First Team selection, Foster filled the points column routinely for a Creighton squad that spent the entire season in the AP Top 25 prior to the most recent poll. He finished just short to Josh Hart for the scoring crown with 18.5 ppg.

Josh Hart (Sr./Villanova): One of the frontrunners for national Player of the Year honors is the Wildcats’ leader, who enters the Big Apple within 172 points of 2,000; he might need to win another national championship to get there (and would need to average more than 19 ppg on that run), but that’s certainly within his grasp.

Kelan Martin (Jr./Butler): The Bulldogs leaned on Martin heavily in his junior season, evident by his league-high 30.7 usage percentage and he rewarded the team with 16.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game en route to an All-Big East selection.

Shamorie Ponds (Fr./St. John’s): A leading contender for Big East Freshman of the Year, Ponds was a prolific scorer in his debut season at 17 points per game and produced 526 points, second to Josh Hart. The slick lefty also led the conference in steals, the first freshman since 1999 to accomplish that.

Rodney Pryor (Gr./Georgetown): One of the few bright spots for the Hoyas this season, Pryor is enjoying a remarkable individual season as he’s paced the squad with 18 points per game (48 percent overall, 42 percent from 3) and has knocked down a league-best 81 deep balls after transferring to the famed Big East program.


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