So Bama will win by 11? rtrThe Tide hasn't been favored in a game since Feb. 24 when it lost a home game with Arkansas. Virginia Tech was a three-point favorite entering Thursday's game that Alabama ultimately won by three.
Get to know the Wildcats, No. 2 in the final AP poll, entering this one.
-- Villanova (31-4) was No. 1 in the AP poll for eight weeks this season after a No. 6 preseason ranking.
-- Alabama's next opponent is No. 3 in field goal percentage at 50.7 and No. 3 in 3-pointers per game with 11.5.
-- The national scoring leader is ... Villanova. It averages 87.1 points a game.
-- The 100-point mark was crossed four times this season with a high of 113 against Nicholls State.
-- Average margin of victory for Villanova is 16.5 points. That's also No. 3 nationally.
-- Turnovers are an issue for Alabama but not the Wildcats. Their +2.7 margin is No. 37.
-- The Wildcats were 10-3 in Quadrant 1 games including two wins over No. 3 Xavier.
-- The worst loss of the season came against No. 96 St. John's, 79-75 on Feb. 7.
-- Alabama and Villanova shared one common opponent: Tennessee. Both teams beat the Vols. The Wildcats had an 85-76 win over Tennessee in November.
-- The Wildcats have six players averaging double figures. Jalen Brunson leads the way with 19.3 points a game, followed by Mikal Bridges' 17.9.
I got really tired of Miller explaining how every foul called on VT was really a foul on Bama. He made no attempt at sounding unbiased. I'm sure he'll find a lot to gush over with 'Nova...Same announcers as last night, which stinks because Reggie Miller was horrible.
A Great Offense vs A Good Defense
The top-seeded Cats came into the tournament hot as ever, winning the Big East tournament in emphatic fashion. Their success has come largely from having the most efficient scoring offense in the country, averaging 1.19 points per possession. However, Alabama ranks 81st in defensive efficiency, meaning that Villanova faces a tough road offensively. Bama also ranks 32nd in opponent true shooting percentage, not great news for a team who’s used to a 62.3 TS%. This is going to be a test for Villanova so, unfortunately, we might see them struggle to sink shots.
But here’s the good news: Villanova ranks 81st in the nation in total rebounding percentage, while Alabama is all the way down the list at 187. This shows that controlling the glass shouldn’t be an issue as it has been known to be running their 4-out 1-in system. Worst case scenario: Villanova has an even battle on the boards, which isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world.
Tomorrow's game is at 11:10 am on cbsRoll Tide! Great game yesterday. Anyone know the game time? And network?
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I watched the Providence Game..... they shouldn't have won that one --I don't necessarily agree that we can't get into a high scoring game with them as we almost hung 90 last night. Can we do it again tomorrow? We can if we show up and play good ball. We cut out the turnovers and hit our open shots and play unselfish ball and we are capable of winning.
I'm already happy by our getting in and making it past the first round. If we pull an upset tomorrow then I will be extremely happy. This team has come a long way this season and we should be proud of them.
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