Villanova suffered yet another setback in their quest to make the NCAA Tournament today, with a heartbreaking 73-64 overtime loss to 23rd ranked Pittsburgh. While losing to the #23 team in the country is nothing to be ashamed of, Villanova entered the day as one of Joe Lunardi's last four teams in, and needing a win to solidify their tournament hopes. To make the loss even more heartbreaking, the Wildcats led by 3 points with 34 seconds remaining, when the Panthers hit a 3 to tie the game and send it to overtime.
After suffering a bad loss to Seton Hall, Villanova could not afford to lose this game, and now enter their final game of the season against 7th ranked Georgetown with a bit of desperation. If Villanova still has aspirations of going dancing, they will most likely need to win their final regular season game or have an impressive showing in the Big East Tournament. The loss dropped the Wildcats record to 18-12 and 9-8 in Big East play. The loss does not cripple the Wildcats postseason hopes completely though, as they do have wins against the 3rd, 5th, and 17th ranked teams on their resume. The Wildcats will need to have a short-memory after a tough loss like this and regroup for their season finale.
The Wildcats strong effort on the day was led by freshman guard Ryan Arcidiacono who had 23 points on the day. Villanova really only had two other players make big contributions during the game, which is perhaps what led to a late breakdown and loss. JayVaughn Pinkston scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, while Mouphtaou Yarou added 14 points and 8 rebounds. Today's loss was definately a bit of a setback for the Wildcats, but does not completely cripple their tournament dreams. With a chance to collect one more good win in the regular season finale, followed by the Big East Tournament that will feature multiple good opponents, the Wildcats can still add to an already impressive resume. Villanova will need to play mistake free from here out if they want to be dancing in a few weeks, but making the tournament is still a very real possibility for them. Villanova has proven capable of beating quality opponents this season and could prove to be dangerous come tournament time. Villanova's tournament hopes are in their hands, as if they win against Georgetown they are likely in, but a loss will most likely end their tournament hopes. Villanova will be back in action on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center against Georgetown, in a game with postseason implications.
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