Villanova was the last team to be awarded a no. 1 seed, and now we may know why.
'Nova went down to NC State in the round of 32 as they struggled mightily with the Wolfpack's size in the interior. Their inability to hit shots, shooting just 31.1 percent from the field, didn't help much either.
To many, though, this wouldn't even qualify as an upset. Many experts felt like NC State had one of the most talented rosters in the entire tournament, and it showed as big men BeeJay Anya, Abdul-Malik Abu and Lennard Freeman combined for more than half of their team's 45 rebounds and four blocks. Some clutch free throw shooting and huge shots from guard Trevor Lacey as Villanova made a final push to come back late in the second half were paramount as well.
But the play of the game may have come at the end of the first half, when Anya went up for this huge block, allowing Lacey hit a 3-pointer on the other end as the clock expired to give the Wolfpack a four-point lead they would never relinquish. It was a huge momentum shift, and you could almost see NC State's chest swell and they dashed off to the locker room.
NC State will face the winner of Louisville and UNI in the Sweet Sixteen, and Villanova heads home. Someone console this sad flute girl, please.
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[Via Vine]
