NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – It is no secret that the Villanova Wildcats are the team to beat in the 2016 Big East Tournament. The Wildcats won the tournament last year, and have been the #1 seed for the third straight year. However, the Wildcats have not been able to translate their Big East success to the “Big Dance”. Villanova has not reached the Sweet 16 since 2009 in five appearances. The first step towards postseason redemption, would be to take care of business Thursday against the Georgetown Hoyas.
During the first half, Georgetown did their best to keep up with Villanova. The lead changed seven times between the two teams, so the game started out tightly contested. Tre Campbell led the Hoyas in scoring with eight points in the first half. Bradley Hayes also helped out Georgetown on the defensive glass with six first half rebounds. Even though the Hoyas shot poorly in the first half (34%), they only trailed Villanova 28-27 at half.
The second half Villanova broke this game wide open. The Wildcats were led by their senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, who had 11 second half points. Nine of those points came from beyond the arch (3 for 3). Josh Hart was tenacious driving to the basket all afternoon, and was rewarded with 11 free throw attempts. Hart and Arcidiacono were too much for the under-matched Hoyas, as Villanova eliminated Georgetown 81-67.
Villanova will go on to play the winner of the #5 Butler Bulldogs and #4 Providence Friars on Friday night.
Stats Of The Game:
- L.J. Peak led Georgetown scorers with 18 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
- Arcidiacono filled the stat sheet with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds.
- Hart led all scorers with 25 points.
- Villanova finished the game shooting 61% (13-21) from downtown.
Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732
(Featured Photo Credit: Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports)