By PAUL GOTHAM
With one day to prepare for an Elite Eight matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Villanova head coach Jay Wright saw that he had no choice when approaching practice on Saturday.
“We’re trying to stay off our feet,” Wright said during the media session at TD Bank Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. “We didn’t use the whole practice time. We’re trying to stay as fresh as possible and try to learn as much about Texas Tech as we can through film and team meetings, walkthrough type settings, just to be fresh.”
Coming off a 90-78 victory over West Virginia in the East Region semifinal, Wright knows what to expect when facing a second straight opponent from the Big 12 conference.
“They’re going to try to wear us down, much like West Virginia did,” Wright noted. “They’re just as physical. They play just as many — they play at least ten guys.”
But it’s not the sheer volume of players Texas Tech like West Virginia before them deploys. As Wright explained it’s the style of play.
“We watched film of Texas Tech and West Virginia playing each other, man, it was more physical than our game. Can really grind you. Their motion screening action is unique, reminiscent of Bobby Knight‘s teams, that you don’t really see that as much anymore.
“We worked against it today. It’s kind of tough, you know. There’s not a lot of teams that screen that much.”
In Texas Tech and second-year coach Chris Beard, Wright sees a lot of similarities to his early years at Villanova.
“You can see Chris is building a culture. You can see the steady growth and the buy-in. He’s got seniors coming off the bench that you can tell are very unselfish. You don’t do that unless they’re really bought in to the program…I believe he said Texas Tech was his dream job, like Villanova for me. When you really love where you are, it’s advantageous in selling that to players.
Led by Jarrett Culver (11.2 ppg/4.9 rpg), Keenan Evans (17.7 ppg/3.2 apg) and Zhaire Smith (11.7 ppg), the third-seeded Red Raiders have knocked off No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin, No. 6 seed Florida and No. 2 seed Purdue to reach the program’s regional final.
“You know, our fourth year or fifth year, we had a team like this that went to the final eight, and it was kind of similar to their team,” Wright stated. “I think they’re a little bit bigger and maybe better defensively. But I could just see he’s got a really strong culture going forward, and he’s got young guys that are in it, too, that are going to continue to grow it. I think this is a long-term thing. I don’t think this is a flash in the pan for Texas Tech.”
Courtesy of TEXAS TECH ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY GAME NOTES
Jalen Brunson (19.1 ppg) leads six Villanova Wildcats in double figures. Mikal Bridges (96-217/44.2 percent) paces a Villanova offense which leads the nation with 1,043 triples on the season and is 12th hitting those long-range attempts at a pace 40.2 percent. Against West Virginia the Wildcats hit 27 of 54 from the floor including 13 of 24 from long range.
Villanova’s 10.4 turnovers ranks second only to Michigan’s 9.2 misplays among the now-remaining six teams. The Wildcats 86.9 points per game tops the nation. Villanova defeated North Carolina in the 2016 National Championship game.
“I think, in my generation, Coach Jay Wright’s changed basketball,” Beard said. “He’s the one that kind of invented small ball, where your four man can shoot threes. They always have four guys on the floor that shoot. I mean, this is the way that our teams try to play.
“I can’t tell you how many players over the years I’ve made watch Villanova tape in my office, trying to kind of talk them out of playing the four when their AAU coach and their mom and their high school coach think they’re a two. Look, Villanova does it.”
A 2:20 PM (EST) tip off is scheduled on Sunday.
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