Heard in the Cheap Seats

Villanova finds itself in a familiar position.  This year’s version of the Wildcats has thrived in games where the odds were seemingly stacked against them.  It might be a trait they got from Villanova teams of days gone by as no school in the history of the NCAA tournament has erased more chalk than Villanova.

Tonight, they will look to pull out those erasers again against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

Knocking off the Tar Heels will require a herculean effort from a team that is playing at is best level of the season.  Villanova needs to be prepared for the speed and athleticism of UNC.  There are few teams in the nation, if any, that can get up and down the floor like the Tar Heels.  That run and gun attack is fueled by Ty Lawson.  Undoubtedly, Lawson is the key to this UNC team.  His ability to attack the floor from end-to-end and create opportunities through dribble penetration is a tough matchup for Villanova.  Scottie Reynolds needs to be up to the task.  Aside from Reynolds’ game-winning shot against Pitt, he has largely struggled in this tournament to find his offensive rhythm.  If Lawson is able to keep Reynolds out of the lane by shutting down his dribble penetration than Nova will be in for a long night.  

But this North Carolina team is not untouchable.  If they do have an Achilles Heel it’s the ability to defend.  Roy Williams’ bunch has a tendency to slip into prolonged lapses on defense—making it all too easy for the opposition to score at will.  Because of this, Villanova should constantly be on the attack tonight and refuse to settle for three-point attempts.  The problem with UNC is they score at such a high clip that trying to keep pace from beyond the arc is a fool’s game.  Dante Cunningham could have a big game tonight and will need one if Villanova will advance to the championship game.  Although Cunningham does have a size disadvantage down low, he also posses a quickness advantage over Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson.  Cunningham will look to take those UNC defenders out of their comfort zone by consistently knocking down shots from 15-18 feet.

On the defensive end of the floor, Cunningham and his other low-post teammates will be in for a tough task.  Defending UNC on the block is a difficult proposition.  The motor of Tyler Hansbrough is renowned and you can bet he will be fired up for the game tonight.  There is little doubt that Hansbrough will be all over the floor and attacking the offensive glass.  Villanova must limit second chance points.

So it’s easy right?  Shut down the vaunted UNC running attack by containing Ty Lawson; consistently beat the Tar Heels off the drive for easy buckets; test the defensive abilities of the UNC frontcourt; and keep Tyler Hansbrough off the offensive glass.

Piece of cake.

If this were a Broadway show, Villanova would be cast in its perfect role—as the underdog.  Its role that has already provided us with the stirring performance of the Pitt game.  Tonight against UNC, Villanova will need to summon one more Oscar worthy performance to propel themselves into the championship game.  I’m not sure they are ready to say cut.