March Madness 2022: Villanova breezes past Delaware 80-60 in NCAA 1st round

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Villanova's hangover from another Big East title lasted maybe 10 minutes. Once the Wildcats found their footing, they ran away from scrappy Delaware.

Justin Moore scored 21 points, Collin Gillespie added 14 and second-seeded Villanova had little trouble with the 15th-seeded Blue Hens, breezing to an 80-60 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

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The Wildcats (27-7) used a 35-10 surge spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second to turn an eight-point deficit into a blowout. Villanova will meet Ohio State in the second round of the South Region on Sunday. The No. 7-seeded Buckeyes downed Loyola Chicago 54-41 in the first of four games at PPG Paints Arena.

Villanova coach Jay Wright worried about his team's legs after watching conference rivals Marquette and UConn flame out of the NCAAs quickly during first-round losses on Thursday.

"They just looked worn down," Wright said.

The Wildcats, not so much. While Delaware (22-13) showed some early fight against its northern neighbor in a meeting of programs separated by 43 miles on the map and considerably more in the college basketball landscape, it wasn't nearly enough.

Villanova overwhelmed the Blue Hens under a barrage of 3-pointers to begin the school's quest for a third national title in seven seasons.

"I think over the course of the game, we decided to get a feel for what (Delaware) wanted to do, and we got comfortable with making plays for each other, and that’s what it’s all about," said Wildcats forward Jermaine Samuels, who had 15 points and nine rebounds.

Jyare Davis led Delaware with 17 points but