It’s not that Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist stands atop college basketball’s points per game (28.9) mountain this season, it’s her consistency every time she steps on the floor. The 6-foot-1 senior forward has taken part in 34 tip-offs this year and every single time she’s put on her Wildcats’ jersey, she’s scored at least 21 points in that contest. No exceptions. That’s downright crazy when it’s natural to have highs and lows in sports to swish the equivalent of 10 buckets off the glass a night. And in most games, it’s been more. Siegrist has 14 games of 30 or more points this season, topping out with a 50-point effort against Seton Hall last month.
And yet, the most dominant scorer in Division I basketball somehow is flying under the radar. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark deserves her flowers and will lead the Hawkeyes deep into March Madness, I’m sure. The resurgence from Indiana has been nothing short of spectacular. And there’s a really great chance when you add in Maryland and Ohio State that if South Carolina doesn’t finish the season undefeated and with a second-straight national championship, it’ll be a Big Ten team knocking off the Gamecocks. Then again, there’s Siegrist and a formidable Villanova team that could do a lot of damage this month.
ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme has the Wildcats as a No. 4 seed, where they’d likely run into Virginia Tech in the Sweet 16. Also in their region are Maryland, Tennessee, and LSU. That’s quite the competition, but Villanova has the firepower, spearheaded by Siegrist, to get to a Final Four. All of Villanova’s losses came to teams that were ranked nationally at the time of the game. Half of those were to UConn. A possible fourth meeting with the Huskies wouldn’t take place until the Final Four.
Siegrist’s scoring prowess this season has her nearly two points ahead of Clark and Drexel’s Keishana Washington for the most points per game in the country. She’s nearly eight points clear of 10th place. That production every game will make Villanova a tough out, especially in a wide-open region. And if you think all Siegrist can do is score, she’s also got 17 double-doubles this season. For those who don’t know the Philly phenom, you’re about to.
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