College

Villanova Lands #1 Seed, #2 Overall

Villanova landed the #1 seed in the East Region and #2 overall in the NCAA tournament.

by
Renee Washington
March 17, 2015

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It is of no surprise to many, that after a phenomenal 32-2 season, 17-0 at home, Villanova landed the #1 seed in the East Region and #2 overall in the NCAA tournament. Villanova won the Big East regular season and tournament championship. They will now face Lafayette, the Patriot League champions on Thursday in Pittsburgh. This was great news for Darrun Hillard, Lehigh Valley native who was recruited by the Leopards when he was in high school. Villanova last played the Leopards on Nov. 8, 2013 in which the Wildcats on 75-59.

Villanova is one of the top teams entering the tournament and predicted to have a far run. Villanova Coach is a Patriot League alum, having graduated from Bucknell. He is also good friends with Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon, and watches Lafayette’s games, including their champrionship game, rooting for the Leopards. O’Hanlon played for the Wildcats and graduated in 1970.

It should be a tough game for Villanova tomorrow, as there are numerous ties to the Lafayette roster. Additionally, Villanova has been steadily progressing in their post season over the last few years and in 2012, they missed the NCAA tournament. The next season they lost in the second round. Last year they fell in the third round. Hopefully, this is their season to dance a little longer in the postseason. Tip-off is at 6:50 p.m. ET on Thursday at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The winner of the VIllanova/Lafayette game faces the winner of No. 8 North Carolina State and No. 9 LSU.

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