BATON ROUGE- Villanova women’s basketball prepares to take on seven-seeded Texas Tech (27-5, 12-6 Big 12) tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the first March Madness game Villanova (27-5, 16-4 Big East) has played since 2023. The ‘Cats are currently seeded No.10 in the Sacramento 2 Region.
The Wildcats present a mix of some solid senior leadership, along with some newcomers, who will play in their first NCAA tournament. Villanova will need to capitalize on its leadership from veteran players who have played in the Big Dance before.
“We have a special chemistry and bond here at Villanova,” said sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe. “We’re lucky to have that. We’re great friends on and off the court. As soon as our freshmen and transfers came in this year they joined that, and I think that’s a testament to why we’ve been playing so well this year.”
Villanova looks to play a strong, consistent game against the Red Raiders tomorrow evening. Head coach Denise Dillon also emphasized versatility on the court, especially because the Wildcats play a five-out offense.”
“Just keeping on point with who we are and what we do as opposed to getting caught up in some of the other actions,” head coach Denise Dillon said. “So fourth quarter, I think this year, we’ve had some ups and downs, but the consistency, as we talked, like those last eight or ten games, we found ourselves finishing stronger than we even started. So we need a lot more of that this weekend for sure.”
The last time Villanova was in the tournament, they hosted as a No.4 seed. This time around, the Wildcats are the underdogs in their first round matchup.
“We’re just going to play Villanova basketball, simple as that,” Bascoe said. “We know what we can do, we know our strength. Obviously we’ve never played this team before. Different conference, but we’re lucky to have played UConn, but other than that, we haven’t really played a team this caliber, really. So we’re ready.”
Both teams finished with a final record of 25-7. Texas Tech went 12-6 in the Big 12 before making a second round exit in the conference tournament. The Lady Raider’s head coach, Krista Gerlich, earned Big 12 Coach of the Year. Senior Snudda Collins was named as the Big 12’s Sixth Player of the Year.
“Obviously I think [Villanova] is really well-coached and they come from a really good league,” Gerlich said. “They’ve played against really tough people.”
Villanova was the only team to hold a halftime lead against No.1 University of Connecticut this season. Villanova also defeated No.11 West Virginia, 81-59, on Dec. 1. Texas Tech managed a 71-66 win over the Mountaineers in January.
One of the Lady Raider’s biggest assets is their seniority. On
the floor, they present an energetic offense as well as a strong defensive presence. Texas Tech has put together a strong resume of wins this season, including West Virginia, No. 14 TCU and No. 21 Baylor.
Against the Wildcats, Texas Tech is looking to stay ahead of Villanova’s motion offense, as well as contain Bascoe, who is currently averaging 18.8 points per game.
“Our kids are going to have to really communicate and apply our defensive principles that we’ve put into place for the past three or four years.” Gerlich said, “I think their point guard [Bascoe] is one of the best in the country. I think she does some really good things. When they don’t get what they want out of their offense, they put the ball in her hands and she creates.”
“They play really good basketball,” Dillon said. “I think it’s a match-up that you’re familiar with because we try to implement the same. So having that idea, it comes out who can disrupt the other team more than they are to you.”
Should Villanova defeat Texas Tech, they will face the winner of No.2 seeded LSU and No. 15 Jacksonville. One team will make it out of Baton Rouge and advance to the regional finals in Sacramento, CA.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 EST at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA. The game will be streamed on Youtube TV. The Villanovan will also provide updates throughout the game.
