Previewing Utah State’s NCAA Tournament opponent: Villanova Wildcats
Mar 18, 2026, 5:06 PM | Updated: 5:12 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The blue-blood Villanova Wildcats certainly enter Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Utah State with more cachet behind their name, but the Aggies enter as the more experienced postseason team.
USU is making its fourth-straight tournament appearance, while a Wildcat team hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2022.
RELATED: How to watch Utah State’s 2026 NCAA Tournament opener vs. Villanova
View this post on Instagram
Being located in San Diego, an 80-minute flight from Salt Lake, doesn’t hurt either, as the Aggies hope their fanbase will travel.
“We have a huge following, so I think that makes it very convenient for them to be able to get there,” Calhoun said in his weekly KSL Sports Zone radio appearance earlier this week.
RELATED STORIES
Villanova Wildcats finish third in Big East
Led by Kevin Willard in his first season with the program, Villanova is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time in four seasons.
The Wildcats finished third in the Big East regular season at 15-5 before bowing out in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal loss to the Georgetown Hoyas.
Nova began the season with a 71-66 loss to BYU in Las Vegas before winning seven consecutive non-conference games.
NABC All-District honors for our guys! ✌️@AcadenLewis @Dukebrennan86 @Tylerperkins_5 pic.twitter.com/TKtZlTL2uP
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) March 18, 2026
Villanova enters Friday’s game 3-3 in its past six contests.
They averaged 77.2 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep. Defensively, the Wildcats held opponents to 70.8 points per game and 45 percent shooting.
Scouting the Wildcats with Jerrod Calhoun
Calhoun expects Villanova to present a unique challenge for his team.
“They’re going to shoot more off the bounce threes than any team we’ve played,” the second-year USU head coach said. “Villanova’s guards have the ability to make step in threes, but they’re also very deadly and efficient from off the bounce.”
Calhoun compared their offensive system to those of Mountain West foes Fresno State and Grand Canyon, both of which rely heavily on the pick-and-roll.
Following the loss of redshirt freshman forward Matt Hodge in late-February, the Wildcats lean on four guards and big man Duke Brennan in the post.
View this post on Instagram
6’4 junior Tyler Perkins leads five Wildcats players in double-figure scoring at 13.7 points per game. Brennan pours in 12.4 points while playing a team-high 31 minutes a night.
Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis forms a potent pick-and-roll combination with Brennan, averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 assists a night.
Bryce Lindsay (11.9 ppg) and graduate senior Devin Askew (10 ppg) round out the group.
The Wildcats averaged nearly ten three-pointers made per game while shooting at a 35 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Tip-off time is set 🤘
🆚 Villanova
➡️ 2:10 PM MT
📺 TNT pic.twitter.com/m3XYYOQc4q— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 16, 2026
Villanova’s guard-heavy defense likes to force turnovers in the open court, averaging better than seven steals per game this year. Lewis (1.9 steals per game) leads three Wildcat players who average more than a swipe per game.
“They’re going to pressure you with very, very strong guards,” Calhoun warned. “So you have to have ball security.”
Willard’s group seamlessly transitions between man-to-man and a matchup zone that can look similar to a two-three zone.
The 6’10” Brennan anchors Villanova’s interior defense by grabbing 10.3 boards a night.
Similar to USU, the Wildcats do not offer much resistance at the rim, averaging just 2.2 blocks per game.
Follow Utah State basketball with KSL Sports
Find Utah State’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.
Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie great Spencer Nelson on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.
Take us with you wherever you go.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
