Sure, the Blue Demons had the Wildcats on upset alert in their previous meeting on Dec. 28, when they lost by three at the Pavilion.
This time around, however, No. 2 Villanova left no doubt in a 75-62 victory at the rematch in Allstate Arena. Once the Wildcats struck first off of a Mikal Bridges 3-pointer, they hardly looked back. Once the ‘Cats caught fire, the Blue Demons found themselves quickly on the back burner.
Much of Villanova’s success was a result of its facilitator, Jalen Brunson, who drew a lot of love from the crowd despite being in enemy territory.