Forget, for a second, about seeding. Forget, for a second, about storming into the NCAA Tournament. Forget, for a second, about making national statements.
Villanova — a Final Four team last year, and a Top 10 team throughout this year — needs its annual March pilgrimage to The Garden to be about the Wildcats themselves. And that’s it.
Jay Wright’s group certainly has enough talent to straighten itself out. And certainly, the Big East Tournament always provides enough motivation.
But just which team hit the Jersey Turnpike and passed through the Lincoln Tunnel this week? The one that opened the season 20-1? Or the one that lost four of its final six games?
Well, as the opening acts of this 16-team monster of a tourney start to fade away, we’re going to say the former on this one. With the luxurious double bye, Wright has had four full days to prepare his club. And Marquette — granted, the Golden Eagles twice pushed Villanova to the limit in January, losing 74-72 in Milwaukee on Jan. 2 and 78-76 in the return trip a week later — is the perfect opponent for this struggling squad.
First of all, the Eagles have played four overtime games in the past three weeks. And second of all, they had to work harder than expected yesterday to avoid another one, eventually extracting a 57-55 decision over St. John’s.
Expect fresher legs — and more incentive — from the favorite.
Villanova (-4) is the Play of the Day.