Villanova eliminates Ohio State in NCAA Tournament with 2nd-round victory

Eric Dixon has spent too many hours in Villanova’s practice gym — some with teammates shouting and defending, some by himself when the only sound was the bounce of the basketball off hardwood — to have any doubt.

He is one of the Wildcats’ least likely candidates to shoot a 3-pointer with a Sweet 16 berth seemingly slipping away. But he said he had no hesitation when he accepted a pass from Collin Gillespie, settled his feet and hit the 3-pointer that secured Villanova’s 71-61 victory against Ohio State on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The pressure was mounting, and the PPG Paints Arena crowd of 18,506 was screaming after No. 7 Ohio State (20-12) had erased most of a 15-point deficit and trailed only 60-58 with 5 minutes, 39 seconds left.

But Dixon’s 3-pointer — only the 31st in 35 games for the 6-foot-8, 255-pound redshirt sophomore — boosted No. 2 seed Villanova’s lead to a comfortable 67-59 with 1:38 to play.

Did Dixon have any doubt he could make it? He literally shrugged his shoulders at the suggestion.

“I’ve shot thousands of 3s in practice this year and by myself in the gym,” said Dixon who is now 16 of 31 from long range when it counts, including another one early in the second half.

“My teammates expect me to make the shot when I shoot it, so I raised up and shot it.”

Simple, right?

“Eric, he’s got guts, man,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “This is a big-time shot he hit. But he has confidence. He’s a confident kid. That’s what we love about him.”

Gillespie believed Dixon’s shooting a 3 is a normal part of his team’s strategy.

“That’s something we work on all the time,” he said. “They were playing Justin (Moore) pretty tight on that side, and their big was in the lane and Eric was wide open and I have tons of confidence in him to step in and knock any shot down that he’s going to take.”

The shot and the victory launched the Wildcats (28-7) into a Sweet 16 South Region game Thursday in San Antonio against 11th-seeded Michigan.

It’s a rematch of the 2018 national championship game, won by Villanova in San Antonio. That year, the Wildcats also won their first two NCAA Tournament games in Pittsburgh.

Villanova (18-3 in its past six NCAA Tournaments) has won three of its past four second-round games after losing three of four previously.

What’s changed? Nothing, said Wright, who is seeking his third national title since 2016.

“It’s just part of the journey,” he said. “You’ve got to accept what your journey is and you’ve got to learn from it.”

Losing a big lead Sunday would have been difficult for Villanova to accept, with a team built for the long haul of the NCAA Tournament.. Three of the Wildcats’ best players — Gillespie, Caleb Daniels and Jermaine Samuels — have been collegians since 2018. Villanova is an old team, but that’s far from an insult. Often, an old team is the better team, and that’s how Sunday’s game evolved.

Gillespie, Daniels and Samuels combined to score 48 points, with Gillespie recording 20 and four assists, Samuels 17 points and Daniels 11. Dixon added 13 points and eight rebounds, matching Samuels and Daniels in the latter category.

Wright expects such efforts from Gillespie, a graduate senior who played 16 minutes and scored four points against Michigan in the title game four years ago. Samuels also was a part of that team, but he was hampered by a broken hand and averaged six minutes. Daniels, a transfer from Tulane, has been with the Wildcats since 2019.

Dixon said the guidance those three provide is a big part of Villanova’s success.

“I would say it can’t be overstated, on and off the court,” he said. “When we’re walking around, eating food, watching film, whatever it is, they lead us so when we are on the court it just feels natural.”

Maybe a less experienced team would have been unable to survive Ohio State’s rally.

“When you’re playing great teams in big-time atmospheres like this, there is a lot of pressure there,” Wright said.

“If you haven’t done it, it’s hard. You can panic. But all these guys have been there.”

Villanova won the Big East Tournament earlier this month after playing UCLA, Baylor and Purdue during the nonconference portion of the schedule. The Wildcats lost all three while learning what it takes to confront big-time opponents.

“Those kind of games provide that for you, and it’s really valuable,” Wright said.

After Ohio State cut the lead to two on Jamari Wheeler’s 3-pointer, the Buckeyes managed only one more field goal over the last 5:39.

“We stuck together and came together on the defensive end,” Gillespie said, “and told each other, ‘Let’s get this next stop, let’s get this next stop.’”

There was a two-minute period before Dixon’s shot when neither team scored and Ohio State failed to cut into the five-point deficit while committing two turnovers and missing from the field and the foul line.

“They’ve got a lot of older guys and they were composed,” said Ohio State third-team All-American E.J. Liddell. He finished with 17 points, second among the Buckeyes to freshman Malaki Branham’s 23

“I thought we went out there and played hard, but we’ve got to take care of the ball a little bit more,” Liddell said.

Next up for Liddell, a junior, is deciding between declaring for the NBA Draft or opting to return to school.

“Right now I’m just reflecting on enjoying the moments I have with these guys, not even thinking about that,” he said.

“But this one stings. This moment right here, I didn’t want it to happen, ever.”