Villanova vs. UCLA: NCAA Tournament Second Round Breakdown

After surviving a scare in the first round, Villanova is back on one day's rest and ready to play UCLA in what is sure to be a good game. Neither of these teams had an easy first game though, as Villanova survived a scare from American and UCLA beat VCU by one.

The players:

Villanova F, Dante Cunningham

Cunningham was tied for the most points in the first round game vs. American with 25 points and seven rebounds. He was very good in a game that they really needed his leadership. He should have another big game on Saturday with 17-25 points and 8-10 rebounds.

UCLA F/C, Alfred Aboya

Aboya is UCLA's rebound man pulling in eight rebounds against VCU and averaging 6.2 RPG this season. A bad side of Aboya, though, is that he averages 2.2 fouls per game. We can see Aboya getting in foul trouble during this game.

Who would I take? Cunningham. His rebounding abilities are not as good as Aboya's, but he does have better scoring abilities. His leadership is also hard to find in some players.

Villanova F, Dwayne Anderson

Anderson has come and played great in Villanova's last few games. He was their leading scorer and re-bounder vs. American. But it makes you wonder if he can do it again vs. UCLA. I think he'll play a significant role in Saturday's game.

UCLA F, Nikola Dragovic

The name reminds me of Ivan Drago, the evil Russian boxer from Rocky 4. Is he a good boxer? I don't know, but he is basketball player. He went for 13 rebounds vs. VCU and could go for another 10 in this game.

Who would I take? Anderson. Once again, with Anderson, you get the scoring abilities with the rebounding abilities. Dragovic can rebound, but his scoring doesn't match up to Anderson.

Villanova G, Corey Fisher

Fisher came off the bench in the last game but got more time then Shane Clark, so I am including him. Fisher is a good scorer and leads the team in assists vs. American with four. He averages 10.9 PPG.

UCLA G, Jrue Holiday

This will be Holiday's second career Tournament game. He is a freshman who scored 13 points against VCU and has averaged 8.6 PPG this season. He also averages 3.8 RPG, which is third on his team behind Aboya and Dragovic.

Who would I take? It's a tough one, but I think I'll take Fisher. Fisher has a year of experience on Holiday and averages more points than him.

Villanova G, Reggie Redding

Redding got the start at guard last game and got the most minutes, tied with Dante Cunningham. He only had four points and four rebounds though, and hopefully, he can be more productive this game.

UCLA G/F Josh Shipp

Shipp is a real good player and probably could have a career in the NBA next year. He had 16 pts and eight rebounds against VCU and averages 14.4 PPG this year, which is good enough to tie him for most on his team.

Who would I take? Shipp, easily. Like I said, he has a chance at the NBA next year and is a really good player.

Villanova G, Scottie Reynolds

In my preview for the game against American, I said that Scottie is the leader of this team. And if he has a bad game, he is still there in the clutch, when they need him. Well, he proved me right in that game.

The only thing I worry about with Scottie is his shot selection. He can drive to the hoop and take some bad shots, when there is a man on the outside open.

UCLA G, Darren Collison

Collison, along with Kevin Love, was one of the big reasons that UCLA made it to the Final Four last year. His stats have actually gone down a little bit since last year, but they are still good—14.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 2.4 RPG.

Who would I take? Probably the toughest to choose, but I think I'll go with Collison.

Villanova Bench

Coming off the Villanova bench, they have their biggest three-point threat—Corey Stokes. The thing, with their bench though, is that any of these guys could start in the place of the starters. Stokes and Shane Clark have both gotten many starts this year. Their bench player averages 5.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG.

UCLA Bench

The UCLA Bench has more players than the Villanova bench, so I took the top six players who do not start, like I did with Villanova. They average 3.55 PPG and 1.9 RPG.

Who would I take? The Villanova Bench.

There is a position-by-position breakdown, but who do I have in the game.

Who ya got?

It is harder than the American game was to pick, but I think I am going to go with Villanova in this game. As long as they keep driving to the rim for their points, they should be in good shape. This is basically another home game for them, and if you watched the last game against American, you heard how the fans rallied around their team.

Everyone tune into the game at 1:00 EST time, as it is sure to be a great game.