PITTSBURGH — Villanova point guard Colin Gillespie took the full-impact charge from his Delaware counterpart, Jameer Nelson Jr., and skidded backwards, right off the court. Gillespie glanced up … the scoreboard inside PPG Paints Arena replayed his skid larger than life.
Villanova already had taken full control of this one, and it was Delaware skidding off the big stage Friday afternoon, fatigue replacing any Blue Hens upset dreams, a massive ‘Nova 3-point shooting advantage decisively impacting the whole thing.
In a universe where a little school from Jersey City can knock off vaunted Kentucky, it hadn’t seemed so outrageous to think the Blue Hens could parlay a little early advantage into a lesser March Madness surprise. Except the No. 2 seed in this game played like it, taking No. 15 Delaware, 80-60, advancing to face Ohio State Sunday in the second round after the Buckeyes shut off Loyola Chicago.
The Wildcats declined to give an inch. A minute before Gillespie hit the deck, another Villanova guard, Caleb Daniels, had skidded in another direction, getting to a loose ball. A Villanova shot barely ticked the rim, falling straight to it. The first players to get to it were from Villanova, setting up an acrobatic layup by Villanova big man Eric Dixon.
A late first-half Villanova spree, dominating both ends of the court, had pushed the Wildcats out to a 35-25 halftime lead. A little intermission break didn’t change the trends. Two Delaware passes into the paint found their way into the hands of Jermaine Samuels and Justin Moore instead. Moore knocked down a 3 after the Wildcats passed it around the horn, right around the 3-point line. Gillespie drove for a reverse layup. Timeout, Delaware, suddenly down 15, less than two minutes into the half.
The Blue Hens finish their season with a Colonial Athletic Association title and a 22-13 record, while Villanova improved to 27-7. Moore led five Villanova double-digit scorers with 21 points.
Even Blue Hens advantages turned out to be mirages. Two seconds on the shot clock for a Villanova inbounds pass, Samuels shooting a contested 3 in the corner was the best Villanova could find. Good enough. Swish.
On the other end, a mis-read on a cut, a ball passed out of bounds. After the Blue Hens committed just four first-half turnovers, fatigue had to be impacting Delaware’s decision-making.
Rotation a little short
It didn’t impact this game but Villanova freshman reserve Jordan Longino sat out with a left knee injury suffered Wednesday in practice and is listed as day-to-day. It may be a bigger deal for the next game, where Longino’s athleticism would be useful against Ohio State. Bryan Antoine and Chris Arcidiacono each got short stints in each half to spell the regulars.
A late first-half cold stretch
That stretch came at a tough time for the Blue Hens, making one of their last 10 shots in the first half. What made it especially tough? Villanova made six of its last six shots. That rhythm, giving Villanova a 35-25 halftime margin, was a 8-0 run at the end, and 15-2 over the last 5 1/2 minutes.
Daniels and Gillespie combining to make 4 of 7 3-pointers, Jermaine Samuels adding the only one he tried, was a big part of the story. Delaware made just 1 of 10 3s it tried in the first half.
You saw the inside battle
Dylan Painter was out there a lot against his former teammates and knew how he wanted to operate in the paint, twice turning on Eric Dixon in a one-on-one battle. Advantage Painter? No advantage. At the other end, Dixon practically went right through Painter for a three-point play.
Right away
Delaware didn’t jump out to an early lead by draining 3-pointers. The Blue Hens understood they weren’t giving away any quickness to Villanova, so driving on guards was an effective early plan, and the lead grew to 15-8 as the Wildcats took their time heating up from outside.
Old-fashioned three-point plays by Slater and Dixon sandwiching a second-chance 3-pointer by Gillespie drew ‘Nova closer. Moore got inside and threw it out to Caleb Daniels in the right corner. His 3-pointer gave Villanova its first lead, 20-19, 7:41 left in the half. In this tournament, the rim starts to get smaller if the underdogs can maintain a lead. That didn’t happen here. Eventually, the hoop must have looked as wide as a soccer net for Villanova.
