Led by 28 points and 11 rebounds from Frank Kaminsky, the second seeded Badgers were able to defeat the top
seeded Wildcats 64 - 63 in overtime.
WVU stunned the top -
seeded Wildcats in the 2010 Elite Eight, and then lost to Coach Cal's squad in the round of 32 a year later.
The top -
seeded Wildcats handled No. 3 Texas Tech in the East regional semifinal on Sunday in Boston, 71 - 59.
But the 13th -
seeded Wildcats managed to hit just 4 of 19 three - pointers, and they finished 16 points below their season average of 78.0.
Markkanen did not attempt a shot in the last 11 minutes of the second half as 11th - seeded Xavier pulled off an improbable 73 - 71 upset of the second -
seeded Wildcats.
Drake and the rest of Big Blue Nation have to be taking pleasure in what their No. 1
seed Wildcats are...
Drake and the rest of Big Blue Nation have to be taking pleasure in what their No. 1
seed Wildcats are doing to West Virginia on Thursday in the Sweet 16.
Not exact matches
Many
Wildcats fans took to Twitter to remind Miles of his guarantee win over the undefeated and No. 1 overall
seed.
(Despite consecutive defeats at the hands of the Saint Joseph's Hawks and Davidson
Wildcats, the Rhode Island Rams are still safe, though their
seeding has taken a hit over the last week.)
Even though Purdue ended its three - game skid by surviving the Penn State Nittany Lions «visit on Sunday night, the Boilermakers now occupy the lead spot on
seed line No. 3, ahead of the North Carolina Tar Heels, a Cincinnati Bearcats squad that lost twice last week and the Pac -12-leading Arizona
Wildcats.
The
Wildcats» consistent success against the conference's top
seed could be a big reason why Villanova is going off as the favorite on the odds to win the Big East Tournament.
Over those five years, the
Wildcats did not once lose back - to - back games, and they were never
seeded worse than second in the NCAA tournament.
The Kentucky
Wildcats earned the No. 1 overall
seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, despite a loss in the SEC finals.
The
Wildcats» seasoned guards won't be fazed by No. 5 -
seed West Virginia's press on Friday.
The
Wildcats will try to advance into the finals when they face the Kansas Jayhawks in a battle between the two remaining No. 1
seeds in the tournament.
Villanova won the national championship last year, the
Wildcats are the No. 1 overall
seed in this tournament, they have more wins entering the NCAA tournament than any defending national champion before them, and they have maybe the best player in the country in Josh Hart.
While I discussed the Oregon - USC nightcap above, UCLA has a lot to play for in the first game of the night, against the top -
seeded Arizona
Wildcats (9 p.m., Pac - 12 Networks).
Still, an impressive performance from the young
Wildcats, who Joe Lunardi has a 6
seed in the South.
The top -
seeded Washington Huskies, a surprise no - show in the NCAA bracket considering their status as regular season conference champions, will play another NCAA bubble team in the Northwestern
Wildcats.
The 2012 SEC Tournament had the upset alert blinking as the No. 8
seed LSU Tigers pulled within one point of the consensus No. 1 team in the country and top -
seeded Kentucky
Wildcats at halftime, but a strong second half surge sealed the 60 - 51 win for UK.
The
Wildcats looked particularly sloppy on Friday, taking a slight one - point lead into halftime against the eighth -
seeded LSU Tigers.
The biggest is the return of the Arizona
Wildcats to the protected
seed group, thanks to the returns of Sean Miller, defiant in his denial of wrongdoing in the FBI's probe of college basketball, and Allonzo Trier, back from his PED suspension after an appeal, and a needed Thursday win over Stanford.
There are no in - state matchups quite like Thursday night's matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Ohio St. Buckeyes, but the faceoff everyone will be talking about is a rematch between the top overall
seed, the Kentucky
Wildcats, and the only team to beat them before the finals of the SEC tournament, the fourth -
seeded Indiana Hoosiers, in Atlanta.
In the night - cap, the 8th -
seeded Kentucky
Wildcats opened as 2 - point favorites at CRIS against the 2nd -
seeded Wisconsin Badgers.
The
Wildcats upended No. 2 - overall national
seed North Carolina in the Chapel Hill regional, but went on to lose out to Texas A&M in the College Station super.
The Mountaineers now find themselves among the No. 4
seeds alongside the Pac -12-leading Arizona
Wildcats, a Tennessee Volunteers squad whose Challenge win over the Iowa State Cyclones didn't provide much of a profile boost, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders, picked up a nice non-conference road win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Of course, with the South Regional based in Memphis, finishing as the No. 2 overall
seed wouldn't be so bad, particularly for the Cardinals and
Wildcats.
The
Wildcats might not have the easiest path to Indianapolis of all the No. 1
seeds, but they certainly don't have the most difficult.
Overall, the
Wildcats entered this year's WCAL playoffs with a 27 - 6 record and could get the second -
seed in the CCS Open Division.
The
Wildcats beat second -
seed Calaveras 59 - 50 in Mother Lode League play, but neither Sonora nor Calaveras are the favorite here, thanks to a controversial transfer.
The
Wildcats finished 6 — 3 and clawed their way into the NCAA tournament as a No. 12
seed, then surprised the field by making it to the Sweet 16.
The
Wildcats are very much in play for a No. 3
seed nationally, but if they can't defeat the Buffs for a second time, a four or five is much more likely.
The penalty kicks that earned the Franklin
Wildcats the Sac - Joaquin Section Division I Girls Soccer Championship over top -
seeded Davis, on the other hand, were the result of extensive practice and repetition.
When Villanova beat Creighton Sunday afternoon, the
Wildcats surpassed the Bluejays in the standings and locked up the # 3
seed.
With a Big East tournament slot already in hand, the Golden Eagles look to solidify their
seeding with matches on consecutive days against the Pirates and the
Wildcats.
The NCAA championship game between No. 1
seed Villanova
Wildcats and No. 3
seed Michigan Wolverines airs Monday at 9:20 p.m.