Dylan Ennis and Villanova easily advanced to the round of 32. (Getty)
Villanova looks like it will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.
The East’s top seed rolled through No. 16 Lafayette Thursday night 93-52 to advance to third round, where they’ll play No. 8 N.C. State, improbable 66-65 winners over No. 9 LSU.
The Wildcats shot a blistering 63.2 percent from the field and made 11 of 22 3-pointers in a game that was over almost as soon as it began.
It was ‘Nova’s 16th-straight win. The Wildcats last made the Final Four in 2009.
The Wolfpack rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit and got the game-winning shot from Beejay Anya with under a second to play to stun the Tigers.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
The Basics
Who:
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 8 N.C. State
What:
NCAA Tournament Third Round – East Region
When:
Saturday
Where:
CONSOL Energy Center – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Time:
7:10 p.m. Eastern
Channel:
TBS
Line:
Villanova -9.5. Odds provided by sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Scouting Villanova
(stats don’t include NCAA Tournament games)
Record: 33-2 overall, 16-2 Big East
Coach: Jay Wright, 14th year
Offensive Points Per Game: 76.7
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 61.5
Scoring Leader: Darrun Hilliard II, 14.2
Rebounding Leader: Daniel Ochefu, 8.3
Assists Leader: Ryan Arcidiacono, 3.6
Scouting N.C. State
(stats don’t include NCAA Tournament games)
Record: 20-13 overall, 10-8 ACC
Coach: Mark Gottfried, 4th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 70.4
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 65.4
Scoring Leaders: Trevor Lacey, 15.8 ppg, Ralston Turner, 13.2 ppg
Rebounding Leader: Lennard Freeman, 5.6 rpg
Assists Leader: Anthony Barber, 3.8 apg
