Call them the ‘cardiac cats’- Villanova started off shaky in their first game of the NCAA Tournament, but were able to win. NBC10’s Keith Jones is on the Road to Repeat with Villanova in Buffalo.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 points and NCAA Tournament top seed Villanova shook off a slow start and stumbled forward in the East region Thursday night with a 76-56 victory over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's.
The Wildcats (32-3) weren't themselves for much of the first half before they opened the second half with a 21-6 run to take the first step toward defending their championship. Villanova is trying to be the first back-to-back titlist since Florida in 2007.
Since the NCAA went to seeding in 1985, No. 1 seeds are 130-0 against No. 16s. The historic upset remains elusive, but for a while it looked like it could happen inside KeyBank Center.
The Mountaineers (20-16), who edged New Orleans in a First Four matchup on Tuesday, gave the defending champions all they could handle for 20 minutes.
Freshman Miles Wilson scored 22 to lead Mount St. Mary's.
