Three Key Takeaways.
- Kris Jenkins’ role on this team continues to be downplayed. The junior marksman struggled with his shot earlier this season, but he has caught fire just when his team needed it most (21 points tonight, including two three-pointers). His shooting has forced defenders to actually play him on the perimeter; last year he might have deferred and swung the ball back around. This new and improved Jenkins uses his pump fake to get past his man and attack the rim. Additionally, the forward has developed a crafty post-up game against smaller players. Jenkins’ obvious growth this season has given Villanova yet another option in its diverse offensive attack.
- Villanova’s resiliency proved again why this team is primed for a deep run. Despite a 29-4 record, the doubts around this team’s ability to do significant damage in the NCAA Tournament linger. Given recent results, that’s certainly understandable, but each year’s painful loss is also another notch in the belt for the players. The Wildcats have played plenty of close games this season and have shown an incredible ability to prevail by taking care of the basketball and hitting big shots. Just one day after a shaky 30-minute stretch against Georgetown, Villanova battled until the very finish in putting away Providence. These are exactly the kind of games that Jay Wright’s team needs, serving to erase any of the remaining jitters that surround the big-stage environment.
- The key to solving Providence is solving Ben Bentil. Few teams have successfully limited Bentil’s production this season, but doing so completely takes the Friars out of their rhythm. After exploding for 38 points against Butler yesterday, the 6’9 sophomore was held to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting, all the while amassing several careless fouls. Needless to say, Providence is a well-below average offensive team without him, lacking both shooters and an inside presence. With Bentil sidelined, Villanova controlled the glass and continuously worked the ball inside for a number of easy scoring chances. It was a concerning and undoubtedly frustrating sight for Friars fans.
Star of the Game: Kris Jenkins. When Providence closed the gap to just two points in the closing minutes, the junior forward made all the big plays to answer. He drew an and-one on a post-up and also threw a perfectly on-point entry pass to Daniel Ochefu into the post for an easy layup. Jenkins finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, going 7-of-8 from inside the arc. With Ochefu bothered by an injury and both Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson battling foul trouble, Jenkins was the steadying force for the Wildcats down the stretch.
Quotable:
- Jay Wright on this being the last time he’s playing against Kris Dunn: “I’m very happy about that.”
- Ed Cooley on Ben Bentil’s subpar game: “I think Bentil took himself out of the game by fouling. Villanova didn’t play him any differently than the first two games.”
- Ed Cooley: “I think the difference between the two teams today was veteran composure, especially down the stretch.”
- Jay Wright on slowing down Dunn and Bentil: “We took some chances today guarding those two. That’s why Bullock had 18 and Cartwright had 14. They were smart, they saw it.”
Sights and Sounds: MSG boasted a sellout crowd tonight as the top four teams faced off in the Big East semifinals. It was the first time since 2007 that all of the top seeds advanced to that round and the result was a pair of highly-anticipated matchups featuring four NCAA Tournament teams. Forget all the talk about disappointing turnouts and a relative lack of passionate fan bases compared with three years ago; tonight’s games were no different from those in the past.
What’s Next: Villanova survives another day, returning to the Big East championship game for the second straight year. Winning it again would all but secure a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and uphold Villanova’s place atop the conference pecking order. Providence will be making travel plans as well, presumably under the guise of an #8 or #9 seed in next week’s Tournament.