NCAA Tournament Breakdown: 1 Villanova vs. 8 Wisconsin

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No. 1 seed Villanova (32-3, 15-3 Big East) vs. No. 8 seed Wisconsin (26-9, 12-6 Big Ten)
KeyBank Center - Buffalo, New York, 2:40 p.m., TV: CBS

Last time out
Villanova didn't look itself in the first half against 16-seed Mount St. Mary's on Thursday.

But Donte DiVincenzo's 21 points and 13 rebounds off the bench helped the 'Cats still blow out the Mountaineers, 76-56 (see game story).

Villanova led by only one point at the end of the first half, 30-29, but it opened up the second half on a 21-6 run. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each scored in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Kris Jenkins struggled against Mount St. Mary's. The senior shot 2 of 13 from the field and 0 for 6 from three for just seven points (see story).

Wisconsin beat Virginia Tech, 84-74, thanks to Bronson Koenig's 28 points. The senior made a program-record eight three-pointers on 8 of 17 shooting from downtown. Overall, the Badgers shot 41.9 percent from three, just about five percent above their average for the season.

Nigel Hayes also racked up a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Series history
This is only the second meeting between Villanova and Wisconsin.

The last meeting came in 1995 at the Maui Invitational, where the Badgers won, 66-58.

NCAA Tournament facts/figures
With the win over Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, Villanova improved its record to 58-35. It was also head coach Jay Wright's 21st win at Villanova in the NCAA Tournament, which passed former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino.

This is Wisconsin's 22nd time making the NCAA Tournament. It has an overall record of 36-21 in the tournament. Former Wisconsin head coach and Chester native Bo Ryan accounted for 69 percent of those wins. The Badgers have also made three straight Sweet 16s, including two Final Fours.

Scouting Wisconsin
Wisconsin might be an 8-seed, but Villanova shouldn't take it lightly. Wisconsin finished the regular season with a 23-8 record and tied for second in the Big Ten.

The Badgers have a very experienced NCAA Tournament team. Koenig and Hayes both started and scored in double figures in the national championship against Duke in 2015.

Koenig leads the Badgers in scoring at 14.5 points per game. He also shoots 39 percent from three. Hayes is third on the team in points per game at 13.6.

Wisconsin battled against Virginia Tech at the end of the game, and survived because of the leadership of Koenig and Hayes. They should be a good challenge and formidable hurdle to clear in 'Nova's repeat bid.

What's next
The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 to face No. 4 Florida or No. 5 Virginia next Friday.

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