The No. 2 Villanova Wildcats routed the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes 87-68 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center today, punching a ticket to their first Sweet Sixteen since 2009, the same year that Villanova last made the Final Four.
Josh Hart led Villanova with 19 points, while senior Ryan Arcidiacono added 16 and sunk a pair of three-pointers. The Wildcats shot an eye-popping 59 percent from the field and an astounding 53 percent from three-point range, with only 19 of 54 shot attempts coming from beyond the arc.
On Iowa’s end, the Hawkeyes just couldn’t get the ball rolling ever. The score at halftime was 54-29 in Villanova’s favor and Iowa shot just 45 percent from the field and 29 percent from downtown, with 24 of 60 shot attempts coming from three-point land. Jarrod Uthoff ended his collegiate career with a 16-point performance as the rest of his team struggled, all too often trying to shoot their way out of a jam.
Next for Villanova is a date with No. 3 Miami in Louisville on Thursday, with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. If Villanova can play then the way they did today, then their chances are looking quite strong.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports