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Jay Wright Says Villanova ‘Can Beat Anybody’

After Villanova's upset victory over #5 Louisville, the Cats know they can play with the best teams in the country.

USA TODAY Sports

For the first time in awhile, Nova Nation is finally celebrating a big win. The Wildcats' victory on Tuesday night versus the Louisville Cardinals represented the first win for Nova as an unranked team over a ranked squad in nearly a decade. Although the upset doesn't make Villanova a powerhouse this year, head coach Jay Wright knows how important it was to achieve a win like that.

"It’s good for us. When it comes to NCAA tournament time, really what’s valued by the committee is wins over top 20 teams. For instance, for LaSalle last night to beat Butler, LaSalle could win 22, 23 game this year, but if you don’t have some wins over top 20 teams the committee really won’t value you that as much."

"I think college basketball is really changing. Especially with the leagues breaking up and everything. I think a team like Butler, having been to the final four twice in the last two years, shows that anybody is going to have a shot. I think Temple this year, they have a shot, because once you get into the tournament it’s all about matchups. It’s all about matchups. If you get the right matchups, you can advance and I think we’re the same way. If we get it going we can, I mean, we just proved it, LaSalle just proved it. We can beat anybody.

Well, the Cats get another chance to "beat anybody" on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center against the #3 Syracuse Orange.