BOSTON – With 35 seconds remaining on the clock and Villanova leading by 12 points, Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard held up his arms to concede the inevitable. He’d watched Villanova spend the East Regional final here on Sunday afternoon passing the ball with a kinetic joy, probing the lane with a deft opportunism and matching Texas Tech’s intensity with a defiant man-to-man defense. The top-seeded Wildcats beat the No. 3 Red Raiders, 71-59, despite scoring less field goals, shooting 16.7 percent from 3-point range and registering just seven assists. Somehow, Villanova turned an alley fight into a comfortable victory.
In an NCAA tournament defined by upsets, complete chaos and unexpected underdogs, the Wildcats have remained college basketball’s most reliable and predictable juggernaut. The style and tenor of their victories may vary, but they’ll head to San Antonio as the overwhelming favorite to win the national title. At this point, picking against Villanova would be as foolish as expecting a coach dressed better than Jay Wright at the Final Four.
By Pete Thamel.
Full story at Yahoo News.
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