2016 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 3 Miami vs. No. 2 Villanova

The top seeds have held serve in the bottom half of the South Region, setting up a terrific matchup in the Sweet 16 of the 2016 NCAA tournament between the Miami Hurricanes and Villanova Wildcats. Both teams have appeared to be more than capable of winning a national championship during the first two rounds of the tournament.

The Wildcats cruised through much of the regular season, winning the Big East and winning their first two tournament games in dominating fashion after faltering in the first weekend the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were in contention for the ACC championship until the last day of the regular season, and while they didn’t dominate their first two games as much as Villanova, there’s no doubt Miami belongs in the Sweet 16.

The biggest factor in this game may be how effective Villanova’s high-pressure defense is and how well the Hurricanes handle it. Miami point guard Angel Rodriguez is among the best floor generals in the nation, as he’s mediocre as an outside shooter but outstanding at running a team and creating for others. The Wildcats will throw waves of feisty guards at the Rodriguez, forcing him to handle the pressure. If Rodriguez can keep his cool under pressure, it could set up the likes of Sheldon McClellan, Davon Reed and Ivan Cruz Uceda with good looks from the perimeter. However, if the Wildcats can force turnovers with their defense, Villanova could get easy points and control the tempo of the game.

On the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes can play good defense as well. Miami is not afraid to go deep into the bench to find fresh legs in order to keep up their defensive intensity over the course of 40 minutes. Villanova possesses a balanced scoring attack, much like the Hurricanes, but with Miami’s defense, the scoring trio of Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins may not be able to score points as easily as they have during the first two rounds of the tournament.

Of course, both teams have prominent frontcourt players who could end up being the x-factor in this matchup. Villanova’s Daniel Ochefu is a reliable post presence for the Wildcats, but Tonye Jekiri gives the Hurricanes a 7-footer who can counter Ochefu in the post. This creates an interesting and important matchup to watch, both in terms of scoring points in the paint to take pressure off of each team’s guards and rebounding to create second-chance scoring opportunities.

These two teams are as evenly matched as any two teams that will meet in the Sweet 16 this year. Both squads should get up and down the floor in what will likely be an entertaining game. The difference in the game will be the effectiveness of Villanova’s pressure defense and whether or not it can force turnovers and take Miami out of a rhythm offensively or if the Hurricanes can handle the pressure and attack the defense in a way that will give them open shots. Either way, this could end up being the most intriguing and entertaining game of the Sweet 16.