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It's been a roller coaster season for the Villanova Wildcats, but Jay Wright's squad finds itself back in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years. They'll meet perennial power and eight-seeded North Carolina Friday night at 7:30 in Kansas City, Mo.
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The Nos. 8-9 games are usually pretty tough to predict, but it looks like experts like North Carolina to win this one. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas points out the similarities between the styles these two teams like to play. But Bilas says the Heels are a better 3-point shooting team, so they will ultimately come out on top.
Our resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean adds that Villanova has struggled defending the three this year, which will make it tough for them to beat North Carolina.
The experts at CBS take Bilas's side as well. Looking at the 13 analyst brackets posted on their site, just one has the Wildcats winning the game. Matt Norlander likes Villanova to win, but then lose in the third round to top-seeded Kansas.
But of course March is unpredictable, no matter how much we all try. And a look at Villanova's season doesn't make it any easier. The Wildcats lost to Columbia back in November, but have also beaten Georgetown, Syracuse and Louisville. So the potential for a Villanova win is certainly there. Whether or not it actually happens is yet to be seen.
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