6 Villanova vs. 2 Tennessee – South Region, Sweet 16 (Friday, March 29)
The defending champion Villanova Wildcats admittedly got a favorable draw to make it to the Sweet 16 in this March Madness bracket. Not only do they open up against a St. Mary’s team that truthfully isn’t much to be afraid of, despite knocking off Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament final, but they then got to take on Old Dominion after the Monarchs upset Purdue in the First Round.
Led by Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, this Villanova team is good, but just not nearly the same caliber as the teams that they’ve had in recent years. Specifically, this Wildcats team doesn’t shoot the ball quite as well from 3-point range as they have in their two titles in three years run, even if they still shoot a lot of them. They are just a lesser team that, in a tougher region, probably wouldn’t make it to this point.
Regardless of that, Tennessee is a bad matchup for Villanova. Not only does Rick Barnes’ Volunteers team have the athletes and size to get out and force tough long-range shots from the Wildcats from start to finish in this game, but they have the balanced offense that can beat you both on the outside and in the paint.
Despite the name-brand matchup here in the Sweet 16, this might be a lopsided matchup in favor of Tennessee. They are deeper, more balanced and more polished of a team that matches up well with Villanova, which should propel them comfortably into the Elite Eight.
Pick: Tennessee