Jay Wright: 'We Get To Play In Another Two-Game Tourney'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Villanova Wildcats aren't look at the NCAA Tournament as a six-win project. The Cats are only worried about one week at a time.
The latest "mini-tournament" begins on Thursday in Louisville. The Wildcats will take on Miami, with the winner set to meet either Kansas or Maryland on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four. For Kris Jenkins and his teammates, it's time for another four-team, two-win tourney with the first game being the only focus through Thursday night.
"It's another two-game tournament," said Jenkins. "We have to take care of Miami. It's the most important game. It's going to be a battle. It's something we're looking forward to. We'll be ready."
Jay Wright shares a similar philosophy with his players. Last weekend, much of the college basketball world talked about Villanova's recent tournament failures. For Wright and the Wildcats, it was all about winning the first mini-tournament at the end of March. Now, the Wildcats have to get past Miami in the opener of this week's tournament.
"We won a two-game tournament," Wright said. "We're basketball players. That's what we do. Now, we get to play in another one. That's what this is. We know the only way you get to play in a second game is to prepare well for the first one."
The Hurricanes have been impressive this season. Miami is 27-7 and finished third in the powerful ACC Conference. It did not take long for the Hurricanes to catch the attention of the Wildcats as they began breaking down film on Monday. However, Wright expects nothing less than the rest of the nation's best at this stage of the tournament, and Miami's senior-laden squad is more than capable of ending Villanova's season.
"You're not getting any easy ones," said Wright. "These guys are tough. They're old. They've got a lot of redshirt seniors that are tough and smart. (Miami Head Coach) Jim Larranaga's a very good coach and when he gets guys like that in his program, they're very effective."
The Wildcats have also been very effective in the NCAA Tournament. Some believe they are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. Jenkins says even with the next "mini-tournament" looming, the sky is the limit for the Wildcats.
"We're still getting better," Jenkins said. "We've got some guys in some new roles, but like this whole year, we've just been getting better. Hopefully, we can continue it."
Tip off for No. 3 Miami vs. No. 2 Villanova is set for 7:10 p.m. E.T. on Thursday, March 24th at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Villanova is -4.5, according to VegasInsider.com.
