With the sports world grinding to a halt and college basketball fans left lamenting the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, we’re doing what we can to make the best of the situation. With that in mind, we’re going to spend the next few weeks revisiting some important moments in Villanova history, and with the Wildcats’ recent success there will be plenty for us to enjoy.

March 24, 2016 Villanova 92 Miami 69

The week prior, Villanova got a huge monkey off its back by beating UNC Asheville and Iowa to get past the first weekend of the tournament and finally reach the Sweet 16 after several years of seeing incredible regular-season success not translate to the NCAA Tournament. The ‘Cats were rewarded with a date with the third-seeded Miami Hurricanes.

Freed from the questions of the early Tournament failures, the Wildcats exploded in their Sweet 16 matchup and sent a message to the college basketball world that they had much bigger goals in mind.

Villanova jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back. The advantage would grow to 14 halfway through the first half and would get as high as 15. The Hurricanes did have one push in them, ripping off a 12-0 run to get within three and would get as close as one with just over four minutes to go in the half, creating some nervous energy across Nova Nation. But the ‘Cats would push the lead back to nine before carrying a six-point lead into the break.

Villanova scored the first four points of the second half to restore a double-figure lead and the lead would remain at 10 halfway through the period. From there the Wildcats would finish the game on a 31-18 run, cruising to a 23-point victory and a spot in the Elite 8.

The ‘Cats put on an offensive clinic on that March night. They shot a scorching 62.7 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc. For good measure, they connected on 18-of-19 attempts from the free-throw line.

Eight Wildcats scored, with four reaching double-figures and two topping the 20-point mark. Ryan Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins had 21 points each, shooting a combined 15-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-13 from three. Arch added four assists, three rebounds and three steals while Jenkins had nine rebounds and four assists.

Daniel Ochefu had a big offensive night with 17 points, while Josh Hart added 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Jalen Brunson had five points on just two shot attempts.

Darryl Reynolds had eight points and five rebounds off the bench, with Mikal Bridges adding four points and Phil Booth adding two.

The advanced numbers paint an even starker picture of Villanova’s offensive dominance. The ‘Cats had an effective field goal percentage of 72.5 and an offensive rating of 155.9.

Villanova won the battle on the boards 27-17 and pulled in nearly half of their misses, getting nine offensive rebounds on 19 missed shots.

The Wildcats played nearly flawless offense in the six games of the NCAA tournament, and the game against Miami was a prime example of that and would prove to be a sign of things to come.

The win was Villanova’s 32nd of the season and set up a date with Kansas in the Elite 8.