Chris Holtmann explains what keys are to slowing down Villanova

The No. 7 seed Ohio State Buckeyes are set to tangle with the No. 2 seed Villanova Wildcats on Sunday in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have established themselves as one of the premiere programs in all of college basketball and few head coaches around the country develop talent quite like their head coach, Jay Wright.

Ohio State’s head coach, Chris Holtmann, spent four years coaching in the Big East at Butler from 2013-2017, so he knows Wright’s program quite well. Before Sunday’s matchup, Holtmann was asked about his previous coaching experience against Villanova. More specifically, he was asked about going up against them in the past and how that resonates with this year’s version of the Wildcats.

“Yeah, it’s very similar. They have tremendous buy-in to how they want to play. They’ve got a real toughness to them always. They just have a real tremendous toughness and approach that is just really tough-minded, as well. They’re physically tough, and they’re really, really tough-minded. Some of that is because they’re older. They’re typically older, but even some of his younger teams have been really tough and tough-minded. It requires a great [amount of] discipline to play a team that is this talented, this good, this well-coached, and as tough as they are,” Holtmann said.

Jay Wright has built a remarkably consistent program at Villanova. He was named AP Coach of the Decade for the 2010s and deservedly so. He has led the Wildcats to two national titles–in 2016 and 2018. Under Jay Wright, the Wildcats have traditionally been among the nation’s elite three-point shooting teams. This year’s version of Villanova has averaged 36.2 percent from beyond-the-arc, ranking 51st in the country. The Wildcats’ floor general this season has been without a doubt, Collin Gillespie. He’s averaging 15.9 points per game, while connecting on 45.5 percent of his three-pointers. He’s one of the purest shooters in America and also averages 89.4 percent from the free throw line.

Villanova easily handled the No. 15 seed Delaware Blue Hens in their first-round matchup, 80-60. The Wildcats had five players score in double-digits in that game: Eric Dixon (12 points), Jermaine Samuels (15 points), Justin Moore (21 points), Collin Gillespie (14 points), and Caleb Daniels (13 points).

The winner of Sunday’s matchup will advance to the Sweet 16 to face off against the Michigan Wolverines.