City of Basketball Love

Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch)
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Perhaps presenting a bit of homerism, President Joe Biden picked Villanova to make the women’s national championship game.

But the Wildcats weren’t so sure they were going to make the expanded field of 68 this season heading into Selection Sunday.

“It was definitely nerve-racking watching the selection show knowing that we had been on the bubble,” Wildcats forward Brianna Herlihy said. “I know me, Maddy (Siegrist) and a lot of our teammates had been talking about it the whole time. How are we on the bubble? And do we think we're going to make it? Do we think we have a chance? Do we think maybe we're not going to make it?”

In the eyes of the selection committee, Villanova had done enough. The Wildcats went 23-8 and 15-4 in Big East play. They beat UConn on the road in the regular season, finished second in the conference and made the Big East title game. And so, for the first time since 2018, Villanova is dancing.

The committee put them in and slated the Wildcats with a No. 11 seed. Now, the rest is up to them.

“It's definitely incredibly special. I came back with the goal to make it here, and I think that everyone on the team has had the same exact goal the entire year,” said Herlihy, a redshirt senior in her sixth year in the program.

Villanova is playing the first weekend of the tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the No. 3 seed and host Michigan Wolverines.

The Wildcats begin play on Saturday against No. 6 BYU. With a win there, they’ll face the winner of Michigan and No. 14-seeded American. That’s Villanova’s path to making the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003, and just the second time in program history.

While Villanova is proud that it's in the NCAA Tournament, it wants to be much more than a team that’s just happy to be there.

“We're appreciative, but recognize that we put the effort in and the results to get here,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said Friday. “As we just keep reminding our players, of course it's a goal to get to the NCAA Tournament, but now it's on you to have that same mentality and execution in order to prove that you belong here and do what is necessary. Play your game, don't get caught up in everything else, try and eliminate the distractions, and do what you can to keep your name in the conversation moving forward.”
 

How To Watch
When: Saturday, March 19 at 1 p.m. EST
Where: Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: ESPNews
Crew: Sam Gore, Aja Ellison

Scouting BYU
The Cougars have one of the most efficient and high-scoring offenses in the country. They average 77.8 points per-game, which is seventh-best nationally, and score 109.9 points per-possession, which is second-best in the nation.

BYU is also fifth in the country in field goal percentage (46.7%), 10th in points per-play (0.93), second in assists per-game (20.1), third in assist-turnover ratio (1.53) and 12th in offensive rating (110.5), according to HerHoopStats.

Simply put, BYU can put up points efficiently and quickly. The Cougars can score with anyone in the country. To beat them, the Wildcats will have to be sharp defensively.

“It's their system, it's their style, but their advantage is their experience,” Dillon said. “When you have players who have played season after season within the BYU system, they're comfortable with what they do, and then playing together, knowing each other's games and feeding off each other.”

When asked if BYU compared to any team Villanova had seen in the Big East, Dillon identified another NCAA Tournament team: “I'd say Creighton for sure, just with their constant movement without the ball, their ability to score from the three, off the dribble, and strong post play, as well.”

BYU went 26-3 this season and earned an at-large bid to the NCAAs after falling to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament. They started the season with eight straight wins. Over the course of the year, they notched impressive victories over the likes of Florida State, West Virginia, Utah, Washington State and Gonzaga.

Leading the way for BYU this season is Shaylee Gonzales, who averages 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per-game. She is one of three players in the country averaging 18-5-4-2 in those stat categories this season, according to HerHoopStats. The 5-foot-10 redshirt junior is also 15th in the country in win shares with 10.2.

If BYU is comparable to Creighton, that’s good news for Maddy Siegrist – the Wildcats’ star forward and Third Team All-American. Siegrist had one of her best games of the season against the Bluejays, tallying 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 10-point win in January.

Siegrist said Friday that BYU’s style of play is similar to Villanova’s.

“Both teams like to push, offensively very disciplined, very fundamentally sound,” Siegrist said. “Obviously, they're a really talented team and experience is something they have… We just have to play Villanova basketball to the best of our ability, go in and have fun, and I think we'll be alright.”