Villanova Upset By Seton Hall: 2014 NCAA Tournament One Seed Opens Up [Video]
Villanova was upset by Seton Hall on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, opening up a number one seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament. Joe Lunardi of ESPN had Villanova as a one seed in the NCAA tournament following Kansas going down last week. But with the Villanova upset by Seton Hall, that last one seed is going somewhere else.
Conference tournament play kicked off last weekend, with Wichita State most likely securing a one seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament in a victory over Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Many of the major conferences, like the Big East, kicked off today and March Madness is in full swing. In a close game, Villanova, the one seed, battled back and forth with number eight seed Seton Hall. Gene Teague led the charge in Villanova being upset by Seton Hall. Teague scored 19 points in the defeat.
Villanova had trouble scoring against the bigger Seton Hall. Looking for points, guard Josh Hart came off the bench to score 18 points. In the end it wasn’t enough. The last two minutes of the Villanova upset was a back and forth thrilling finish. After Seton Hall took the lead on a three pointer by Jaren Sina with 21 seconds remaining, Villanova’s Darrun Hilliard knocked down a jumper to put the Wildcats up by one with 11 seconds to go. After a timeout, Sterling Gibbs knocked down a three pointer at the buzzer to complete the Seton Hall over Villanova upset.
The big news is that the Villanova upset now creates a wide open race for the final one seed for the 2014 NCAA tournament. While Florida and Wichita State appear to be shoe ins for the first two number one seeds, Arizona has to take care of business in the Pac 12 tournament. They go in as the number one seed there, but it is a dangerous field. Arizona must win three games in three days to secure their one seed in the NCAA tournament.
The last number one seed in the NCAA tournament could go to the winner of the ACC tournament. Virginia, Duke, and Syracuse all have a shot at grabbing the final spot. Virginia has the strongest case of the three if they can win the tournament. Late season faltering by both Duke and Syracuse put their hopes in question, even if they pull out the win. Of course NCAA tournament history would suggest they may get “preferential” treatment.
Our prediction for the 2014 NCAA tournament final one seed remains in tact and we stand by it. The Louisville Cardinals will win the American Athletic conference championship and come out as a number one seed. Welcome to March Madness where a Villanova upset in the Big East tournament has major implications for the one seeds in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
[Image via SB Nation]
