Tuesday, April 1, kicks off Villanova basketball’s run in the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
Villanova (19-14, 11-9 Big East) will take on Colorado (14-20, 3-17 Big 12) in the first round of the tournament. With just 16 teams competing, it only takes four games to win the inaugural crown.
This will be the first time interim head coach Mike Nardi coaches the Wildcats in a game. He took over after Kyle Neptune was dismissed as head coach on March 15. Nardi views this as a way for Villanova to “go out the right way.”
“I said this to Father Peter, it’s a chance for me to give back,” Nardi said. “To give back to everybody who has supported me, who supported this program, all of the former players and coaches that have played here and been a part of this. Obviously, Nova Nation. It’s just really an opportunity for me to really give back.”
Graduate forward Eric Dixon is chasing down another program record. After falling just short of it in the Big East Tournament, Dixon will attempt to become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer. He needs just nine points to surpass the current record holder, Kerry Kittles (2,243 points).
Dixon finished the regular season as the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 23 points over 33 games. He also led the Big East in three-point percentage with 42.2%.
In Villanova’s last game, Dixon scored just eight points which snapped a 47 consecutive game streak of scoring at least double digits. Dixon is a crucial piece to both the Wildcats offense and defense.
Besides Dixon, the Wildcats are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. As a team, they shot a league-leading 39.8% from beyond the arc. Colorado has been average in defending the perimeter this season. The Buffaloes’ opponents have shot 34.1% from three this season.
Another key piece to Villanova’s roster in Las Vegas is senior guard Wooga Poplar. He is arguably the best transfer the Wildcats brought in this season. Poplar has eight double-doubles this year while averaging 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds.
For the Buffaloes, they average just 69.9 points per game this season. They only have two players who average double-digit scoring. Senior guard Julian Hammond averages a team-high 12.5 points and 3.2 assists per game. Hammond has only scored double-digits in two of his last five games.
Colorado senior forward Andrej Jakimovski holds down the paint for the Buffaloes. He averages 10.4 points and five rebounds.
This is a manageable matchup for Villanova if it can operate to the ability it is capable of. With wins over ranked teams such as St. John’s University, the University of Connecticut and Marquette, the Wildcats have proven they can play elite basketball.
The game will be shown on FS1 with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
