Daily News Agenda: How far do you think Villanova will go?

When I filled out out my bracket a week ago, I had Villanova going to the Final Four. I also had Miami and Maryland joining them Thursday in the South Regional in Louisville, Ky. I did not have Kansas. I had Connecticut upsetting the Jayhawks in the second round. That did not come close to happening.

So, the South bracket, along with the West, is the strongest at this stage which, of course, makes the Wildcats' task much more complicated. By the way, if the tournament selection committee had followed its own procedures and given the Wildcats the East Region site their No. 2 seed earned, they would be playing Notre Dame Friday at the Wells Fargo Center, no easy task, but certainly less difficult than playing Miami on a neutral court.

When I saw the draw, I had no doubt the Wildcats were getting out of Brooklyn. UNC Asheville was a walkover. Once Iowa beat Temple, I told everybody I knew the 'Cats would win that game by at least 20. I was close enough.

I liked not only that the Wildcats won, but how they won - smooth, relentless, efficient, just like the team we have been watching win all those games the last three seasons. The burden of the second-round exits now gone, this team should be playing free and easy against the Hurricanes.

Unfortunately, the 'Canes are really good. They are also experienced, were a contender all season in America's best conference (the ACC has six teams still playing and it likely would have been seven if Louisville did not take itself out) and coached by a man with Final Four experience, Jim Larranaga, who got George Mason there in 2006.

I have always believed in this Wildcats team. I love how they play even more than the results. And the results have been there, including, finally, that much-deserved breakthrough NCAA win.

The pick last week is the pick this week - Villanova to the Final Four. I think the 'Cats beat Miami and Kansas beats Maryland. KU would provide an incredible challenge, with its depth and ability. But this is not a Kansas team with NBA talent. This is a really good college team, but one Villanova could beat.

If the Wildcats were going to lose in this tournament, I always thought it would be to a team that would outshoot them or just be too big. The shooters of Oklahoma (West) and the size of North Carolina (East) qualify. I would not necessarily like Villanova against either in the Final Four, but if the 'Cats get there like I think they will, I can always reconsider.

The Wildcats can go about as far as they want. I think it mostly depends on them.

If they play the way they did in the first half against Iowa, what's not possible? It might have been their best 20 minutes of the season. The Hawkeyes proved to be a perfect matchup for them, which is often what it's about at this time of year. They just couldn't deal with everything Villanova had to offer, especially along the perimeter. And it showed, big-time.

Now the obstacle gets a little more difficult. Or maybe even a lot, in the form of Miami in a Sweet 16 matchup in Louisville, Ky., that on paper figures to be about a toss-up going in. The Hurricanes have a veteran team and a coach who, like Jay Wright, has been to a Final Four. After that it would be either Kansas or Maryland. Probably Kansas, which entered the tournament ranked No. 1 for a reason. But it's supposed to get tougher as you advance.

The Wildcats have beaten two teams they should have beaten. But they did so emphatically. Coming into the Madness they probably had more pressure on them than any team in the field, given what hadn't happened the past two years. Now, that's no longer an issue. But as they said on Sunday in Brooklyn, their goal wasn't to make it this far. And that's a good thing. Because they're quite capable of taking this a lot farther.

The Wildcats have a lot of ways to beat you. If they make shots, especially from the arc, they're going to be a really tough out. Kris Jenkins has been setting the tone at the offensive end. But Ryan Arcidiacono can hurt you, as can Jalen Brunson and, of course, Josh Hart. Their ball movement and spacing has been tremendous. And big man Daniel Ochefu finally seems to be over his foot injury, no minor detail. Plus they're getting quality minutes from the bench from three guys, two of whom give them some added size when they need it. So the Wildcats can throw a bunch of looks at you, depending on the situation. And they usually defend. Simply put, they seem to have it going at the right time, which isn't always easy to pull off.

The last time they got this far, they won two more. There's no reason why this group can't do at least the same. Yet it's a fragile existence, since the margin for error goes way down at this point. But their best, or something close to it, could be good enough to do some more damage. Maybe all the way to Houston. I think somebody's going to have to play really well to take them out.

Now that Villanova has dumped the monkey from its back during the process of kicking the elephant out of the room, the question becomes how far WILL the Wildcats go in the NCAA Tournament?

That's slightly different from how far CAN the Wildcats go?

If 'Nova plays as well as it did on Sunday when it dismantled Iowa, 87-68, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009, it CAN win the school's second national championship.

By jacking the Hawkeyes, Villanova (31-5) showed why it is the No. 2 seed in the South Region and had a strong argument to have been one of the No. 1 seeds.

This team has the correct balance of experience, especially from seniors Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, and talent, which includes juniors Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, sophomore Phil Booth and freshman Jalen Brunson.

The tricky part about the NCAA Tournament is that the time when you can get by without your A-plus game is over.

Starting against third-seeded Miami on Thursday in Louisville, Ky., the Wildcats' margin of error becomes almost nonexistent.

That, however, is true for all of the teams left in the field and that's where Villanova's experience comes in.

At this stage of the game, there isn't much the 'Cats have not already seen or figured out how to deal with.

The mental hurdle of failing to advance past the second round the last two seasons as a No. 2 and No. 1 seed is gone.

So what WILL Villanova do?

The 'Cats beat Miami and then take out either No. 1 seed Kansas or No. 5 Maryland to win the South Region and move to the Final Four for the first time since 2009.

In Houston, the South is matched up against the West, which should set up a tough rematch against Oklahoma in the national semifinals. The 78-55 rout by the Sooners in December was an aberration that 'Nova makes up for.

In the NCAA championship game, Villanova faces North Carolina, which unfortunately for 'Nova Nation is the only team that has enough talent to beat the Wildcats if both play their best games.

The Wildcats CAN win it all but WILL finish as national runner-up.

When wondering how far a team will go in the NCAA Tournament, you can't look past the next opponent, and the Miami Hurricanes are that for the Wildcats.

But before getting into what problems the Hurricanes may or may not present Jay Wright's club, let's not forget how good the Wildcats looked over the weekend in their wins over UNC Asheville and Iowa.

The fear, because the loss in the second round last season to North Carolina State was still so fresh, was that if Villanova wasn't making outside shots consistently, it would be hard to rely on Daniel Ochefu and Darryl Reynolds to carry the offensive load in the paint. That possibility never came about in either game as 'Nova's offense was precise and led to a combined 65-for-111 shooting from the floor (58.6 percent), including 23-for-47 (48.9 percent) from three-point range.

What was even more of a relief for 'Nova fans is how easy those shots came. Open shots became wide-open ones with the extra pass. Good dribble penetration was followed by good decisions, whether it was going all the way to the glass or kicking out. The athleticism of Josh Hart was on full display; the smoothness of Kris Jenkins' jumper a vision; the maturity of freshman Jalen Brunson and the everything of fellow guard Ryan Arcidiacono assuring.

After losing in the Round of 32 the past two seasons - as a 1 seed last year and a 2 seed the year before - the win Sunday brought talk of relief. Perhaps that's a good thing, exorcizing the negative talk that has so heavily surrounded this club. Perhaps, subconsciously, they've already accomplished what they set out to. That would be a bad thing.

Miami also boasts experience, with a pair of 23-year-old seniors in Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez, running the backcourt. Like Villanova, Miami can play very well at the defensive end.

When I look at a team at this time of the year, I try to see what is working really well and what could prevent advancement. I just see so much of the former and very little of the latter with the Wildcats. How far will they go? I see them getting by Miami on Thursday. If Maryland can get by Kansas, I think 'Nova will win that one, too.

After that? Hopefully for 'Nova fans, this question will be posed again next week.

Final Four: 10, Elite Eight: 6, Sweet 16: 1

Ed Barkowitz...Final Four

Les Bowen...Final Four

Bob Cooney...Final Four

Doug Darroch...Elite Eight

Jim DeStefano...Elite Eight

Sam Donnellon...Final Four

Paul Domowitch...Final Four

Marcus Hayes...Elite Eight

Rich Hofmann...Elite Eight

Dick Jerardi...Final Four

Mike Kern...Elite Eight

Tom Mahon...Final Four

David Murphy...Sweet 16

Drew McQuade...Final Four

John Smallwood...Final Four

Bob Vetrone Jr...Final Four

Deb Woodell...Elite Eight