Written By Jim O’Connell at the CharlotteObserver.com
Finally, a Sweet 16 run for Villanova.
It had been seven years since the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend, and led by their seniors, they moved on easily.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 16 points, Daniel Ochefu had 11 rebounds, and second-seeded Villanova beat seventh-seeded Iowa 87-68 on Sunday in the South Regional, the Wildcats’ first Sweet 16 appearance since they went to the Final Four in 2009.
Arcidiacono, Ochefu and the rest of Villanova’s seniors made it to the tournament’s second weekend for the first time. They were upset in the round of 32 the last two seasons and didn’t make it that far as freshmen.
“Great leadership by Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu,” coach Jay Wright said. “I’m thrilled for that senior class that they get to play in a Sweet 16.”
So are those seniors.
“It was definitely a big-time sigh of relief,” Arcidiacono said. “I was ecstatic that we won our game against Iowa because we know how good of a team they are. But I’m just happy for our senior class to be able to get to experience it.”
Ochefu, who said he heard the first question about the Sweet 16 last summer, was thinking of a lot of Villanova players.
“It means a lot for us and just for this program,” he said. “And for all the seniors that were here before us and molding us into the guys we are today, this one’s for them.”
The Wildcats (31-5) will meet third-seeded Miami on Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I just think the biggest thing is I’m honestly just done answering the questions about getting past the (first) weekend,” Arcidiacono said. “I know it was always in the back of our senior minds and our team. But we definitely can go all the way as long as we stick to what we do.”
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