No. 6 Villanova Avoids No. 11 Saint Mary's Upset, Advances at NCAA Tournament

The sixth-seeded Villanova Wildcats' title defense remains on course after the defending champions defeated the 11th-seeded Saint Mary's Gaels 61-57 on Thursday in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament in Hartford, Connecticut.

Phil Booth finished with 20 points and six assists in the win, while Eric Paschall chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds.

Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts—36.6 combined points per game—were big reasons for Saint Mary's regular-season success and West Coast Conference tournament title. Together they had 26 points on 11-of-28 shooting for the Gaels.

Wildcats Can Make Tourney Run Behind Stingy Defense, Controlled Pace

Last year, Villanova led the nation in scoring, averaging 87.1 points per game, and sat first in adjusted offense on KenPom.com. The Wildcats offense has taken a step backward this season, which isn't all that surprising for a team that lost Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Omari Spellman and Donte DiVincenzo.

Villanova entered the tournament 16th in adjusted offense and averaging 74.5 points per game. Not coincidentally, the Wildcats also dropped from 150th to 333rd in adjusted tempo.

Although it's not a lot of fun to watch, winning ugly should be Jay Wright's blueprint over the remainder of the Big Dance.

Saint Mary's shot 41.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Villanova, on the other hand, shot an efficient 49.0 percent and went 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the perimeter.

The Wildcats looked a bit sluggish in the first half and trailed 30-28. They were a different team in the second half, especially down the stretch. Every time Saint Mary's looked like it was starting to build momentum, Villanova got a critical bucket.

Jordan Hunter scored to bring the Gaels to within six points, 50-44, with 6:48 left in the game, and Tommy Kuhse followed up with a three-pointer to make it a three-point game at the 6:00 mark. Villanova held Saint Mary's to two points over the next four minutes, during which time its lead grew to eight points, 57-49. 

Beyond that, the Wildcats showed the poise of a team in which most of the roster experienced the disappointment of a second-round exit in 2017 and then the euphoria of a national championship in 2018. They committed only seven turnovers and seven personal fouls.

Booth and Paschall in particular were unflappable, which is exactly what Wright will have wanted to see from two of his seniors.

The deeper Villanova gets into the tournament, the more its lack of elite talent will be a problem. The Wildcats are less than two weeks removed from a 79-75 defeat to Seton Hall, their fourth in six games to wrap up the regular season.

At this point, though, nobody should bet against Wright to get the most out of his players and grind out hard-earned wins.

What's Next?

Villanova will meet the winner of No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Old Dominion. The Monarchs reached the Big Dance after winning the Conference USA tournament, while the Boilermakers may still be smarting from their upset loss at the hands of Minnesota in the Big Ten quarterfinals.