Villanova Wildcats
Big East (20-10, 9-7)
Villanova started the season off with a 15-2 record. But the tough Big East cut the Wildcats down to size quite a bit. Despite the struggles in conference play, the Wildcats had a great regular season and the best may be yet to come. With a nice mixture of youth and experience, this is a team that could make a bit more noise in March then most expect.
Big Wins: 12/12 Princeton (61-54), 1/9 DePaul (65-45), 3/2 at Syracuse (77-75)
Bad Losses: 11/11 at Minnesota (60-75), 1/23 at Providence (60-65), 2/10 Marquette (56-60)
Coach: Harry Perretta
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Harry Perretta runs a slow, under control offense with a focus on solid, straight up defense. The Wildcats have a very deep bench that can go nine deep without a problem at all. And Coach Perretta plays all nine players relatively equally. That depth is great for a team that works hard on defense every possession. But the biggest reason for Villanova’s success is due to the lack of turnovers. The numbers are going to be low since this is a team that slows it down, but that makes every possession all the more important. The Wildcats lead the nation with just 11.0 turnovers per contest. Guards Rachel Roberts, Caroline Coyer, Devon Kane and Jesse Carey are all very good ball handlers. Even forwards like Lauren Burford and Megan Pearson are capable passers who do a great job of avoiding mistakes. What this team does on offense is shoot the ball. A large percentage of the Wildcats shots will come from beyond the arc. Roberts and Burford are the most prolific outside shooters on the team, but there is not a player on the roster that is not a threat to step back and knock down the long ball.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Villanova can stay close in most games because of their defense and the fact that nobody is going to score too many points against them anyway. But this team truly does live by the three and dies by the three. If the shots are not falling for whatever reason, Villanova is in deep trouble. But on the flip side, they can beat anybody with a hot shooting night by a few players. The main exception to the three-point shooting rule is forward Laura Sweeney. Of course she is not opposed to hoisting up a few long balls, but Sweeney can also score in the post. The 6-2 senior can not only carry the team through a cold shooting spell, but Sweeney will also open up space for the shooters. The other thing Sweeney has to do if this team wants to find success in March is rebound. She has done a great job on the boards this season, but does not get much help from the rest of the team. Villanova will get beat on the glass, but they need to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Probable Starters:
Jesse Carey, Senior, Guard, 2.0 ppg, 1.6 apg
Rachel Roberts, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.5 apg
Lauren Burford, Sophomore, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Taylor Holeman, Sophomore, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Laura Sweeney, Senior, Forward, 13.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.4 spg, 2.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Caroline Coyer, Freshman, Guard, 7.5 ppg, 2.5 apg
Devon Kane, Junior, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 2.4 apg
Emily Leer, Sophomore, Center, 5.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Megan Pearson, Senior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 58.7 (242nd in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 51.8 (14, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.4 (137, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.1 (53, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (14, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.1 (92, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.5 (183, 9)
Rebound Margin: -3.6 (281, 14)
Assists Per Game: 15.7 (33, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.9 (1, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 NIT First Round win over American
2012 NIT Second Round win over Illinois State
2012 NIT Third Round loss to Colorado
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Utah
2008 NIT First Round win over American
2008 NIT Second Round win over Wisconsin
2008 NIT Third Round loss to Colorado
2006 NIT First Round win over Hofstra
2006 NIT Second Round win over Xavier
2006 NIT Third Round loss to Western Kentucky
2005 NIT First Round loss to Chattanooga
*all team stats through 3/7
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
