PITTSBURGH — Collin Gillespie noticed Eric Dixon out of the nook of his eye and despatched a cross-court go that doubled as permission to let it fly.
So Dixon did, flattening the largest shot of his workforce’s season, one which despatched the second-seeded Wildcats again to acquainted territory in opposition to a well-known opponent on a well-known stage.
Dixon’s 3-pointer from the wing with 1:38 to go gave Villanova the respiratory room it wanted in a 71-61 win over seventh-seeded Ohio State within the second spherical of the NCAA Match on Sunday, propelling the Wildcats (28-7) again to San Antonio to face Eleventh-seeded Michigan (19-14) within the South Regional semifinal on Thursday.
4 years in the past, Gillespie was a freshman on the Villanova workforce that held off the Wolverines for this system’s second nationwide title in three seasons. Now he’s a two-time Massive East Participant of the 12 months and the unquestioned chief of a bunch that appears to feed off Gillespie’s “comply with me” vibe, one on full show within the ultimate moments.
The Wildcats led by 64-59 when Gillespie backed into the put up. The Buckeyes scrambled to double-team him, releasing up the 6-foot-8 Dixon. Gillespie had choices.
The actual fact he despatched it over to a participant with simply 28 3-point makes an attempt on the season hardly mattered. It was the sensible play. Gillespie made it. It’s what he does.
Dixon caught the ball and drilled the shot, buoyed by the present of religion from Gillespie.
“I believe they've the arrogance if ‘Collin is giving it to me, that’s telling me, Go forward and shoot it,’ ” Villanova coach Wright stated.
Gillespie completed with 20 factors, 4 assists with a steal and a rebound in opposition to only one turnover in 38 minutes. Dixon’s 3-pointer gave him 13 factors and eight rebounds because the Wildcats fended off a second-half push from the Buckeyes (20-12), who trimmed a 15-point deficit to 2 earlier than Villanova regained its footing.
“That they had a stretch the place they have been hitting shot after shot, and we simply caught collectively and got here collectively on the defensive finish and informed one another, ‘Let’s get this subsequent cease, let’s get this subsequent cease’ and tried to make the following play.”
The Wildcats made the entire proper ones when it mattered. Ohio State missed six of its ultimate seven photographs and turned it over twice after Jamari Wheeler’s 3-pointer pulled the Buckeyes inside 60-58 with 5:39 to go.
They bought no nearer. Jermaine Samuels hit a layup and Gillespie knocked down a pull-up jumper earlier than Dixon delivered the knockout punch.
“Credit score to (Villanova), they performed exhausting,” Ohio State star E.J. Liddell stated. “I believed we went on the market and performed exhausting however we’ve bought to deal with the ball somewhat bit extra.”
Liddell scored 17 factors and 6 rebounds in doubtless his ultimate recreation with the Buckeyes earlier than heading to the NBA. Massive Ten Freshman of the 12 months Malachi Branham — who could possibly be becoming a member of Liddell within the execs — scored 15 of his 23 within the second half.
It simply wasn’t sufficient to ship the Buckeyes to the second weekend of the event for the primary time since 2013. Ohio State by no means led and was compelled to play the ultimate 8:55 with out ahead Kyle Younger, who was being evaluated for a concussion after taking a blow to the top. Younger missed a number of video games late within the season whereas within the concussion protocol.
The Buckeyes discovered a approach to maintain it shut after he left however by no means bought excessive whereas falling to 0-3 within the second spherical beneath coach Chris Holtmann.
“Gotta maintain getting right here, gotta continue to grow,” Holtmann stated, later including, “You retain getting right here, you get right here sufficient, you get right here persistently, and it'll occur.”
The second spherical was once a stumbling block for the Wildcats. Not anymore. After a so-so — by this system’s excessive requirements — common season, Villanova appears to be like harmful as soon as once more.
Every week after rolling to the Massive East Match title, the Wildcats received their first two event video games in Pittsburgh by double digits, simply as they did in 2018 on their approach to a nationwide title that culminated with a blowout over Michigan.
Gillespie and Samuels each stated they didn’t contemplate the parallels between 2018 and 2022 till somebody introduced it to their consideration. It’s a unique workforce than the one which was by no means examined on its approach to a championship.
But similar to that group, this one seems to be peaking, led by the unassuming Gillespie.
“We by no means anticipated this,” Wright stated of Gillespie. “All the intangibles that he brings we anticipated. To have the ability to exit and dominate video games like he does, we didn't.”
Ohio State had no solutions. Two days faraway from a dominant win over Loyola Chicago, the Buckeyes’ swagger vanished in opposition to the extra polished and poised Wildcats.
“When (Ohio State) makes the run in the event you haven’t been there earlier than and know you could face up to that, that that is what occurs whenever you play nice groups and it’s occurred to you earlier than, and you'll battle by it, in the event you haven’t executed it, it’s exhausting, you possibly can panic,” Wright stated. “However all these guys have been there.”
It’s the Villanova approach.
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