Can you give up a 119 offensive efficiency and still win?
Villanova defeated Miami 92-69 in their regional semifinal matchup at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center. On the surface, it appeared Jay Wright’s Wildcats had it all over the Hurricanes on the defensive end. In a 59-possession game, Villanova wound up allowing that all-too-generous 119. Victory was achieved by a ‘Nova offense posting a calculator-busting 156 on their offensive end.
Miami buried 10-of-17 three-pointers en route to a 64 percent eFG percentage. What Villanova did accomplish was forcing the ‘Canes into a 20 percent turnover rate while adding a plus-19 (47-28%) in offensive rebounding percentage.
On the Villanova side of the ball was a white-hot 73 percent eFG mark aided by 10-of-15 from long distance. The turnover rate was a tidy 14 percent. For good measure, the Wildcats canned 18-of-19 from the charity stripe.
Villanova’s team efficiency was largely due to the performance of a few highly efficient players:
Kris Jenkins: 20 points, .971 EF per minute
Josh Hart: 14 points, .952 EF per minute
Ryan Arcidiacono: 21 points, .857 EF per minute
In the Litton EF scheme of things, the performances of Jenkins and Hart come under the ‘stars’ category. Arcidiacono is categorized as ‘very good.’
Next up for Villanova is a daunting challenge in Kansas. It is highly suggested the Wildcats bring the defensive metrics down a lot closer to their 93.5 season average. Anything close to the offense they showed against Miami on Thursday suggests Villanova will not be an easy out.
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