What Scott Drew and Davion Mitchell said about adjusting against Villanova and Collin Gillespie’s absence after Baylor’s Sweet 16 win

Villanova’s tournament run came to an end in a 62-51 loss against top-seeded Baylor on Saturday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

As evident by the score, it was a defensive slugfest. And more times than not, that played into Baylor’s favor.

Baylor coach Scott Drew and guard Davion Mitchell were both complimentary of Villanova. The Wildcats attacked the Bears like few teams have in the first half, when Villanova led, 30-23.

» READ MORE: Villanova’s season ends under a flurry of turnovers: Wildcats lose to Baylor, 62-51, in NCAA Tournament

“We have so much respect for Villanova,” Drew said. “Coach [Jay] Wright’s a Hall of Famer and tremendous coach. Their players really execute and never beat themselves. We knew we had to earn it.”

Here are three areas that Drew and Mitchell highlighted from the game.

Few teams have had success turning the Wildcats over like Baylor did. It started at the top with Mitchell’s hounding ball pressure from the halfcourt line. From there, the Bears scrambled and seemed to be everywhere Villanova wanted to go.

“We knew for us to win, we had to get them out of their comfort zone,” Mitchell said. “I had to put pressure on the ball more. Those guys are really good one-on-one. They make the right play most of the time. If I can disrupt the offense, make them swing it to the other side and waste time, it’ll help us out.”

Mitchell’s nickname is “off-night” because the player he guards usually has an off-night. He and Justin Moore battled as Moore finished with 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting.

“Justin Moore’s a really good guard,” Mitchell said. “He played at his pace. He didn’t play at my pace the whole game. I just tried to make it hard for him.”

Baylor shot 34.5% in the first half as Villanova’s defense wreaked havoc. The Wildcats contained the nation’s top three-point shooting team, but the Bears adjusted.

Baylor shot 53.3% in the second half after making adjustments on attacking Villanova’s defense. The biggest key was allowing its defense to turn into quicker offensive possessions.

“First half, we weren’t getting many stops,” Drew said. “Second half, we were getting stops, so then we’re in transition and getting into our offense quicker with advantages.”

All seven of Baylor’s fastbreak points came in the second half.

The CBS camera panned to Collin Gillespie in the crowd when Villanova went on a run. Mitchell, who would’ve been guarding Gillespie, noticed the difference without the Co-Big East player of the year.

Gillespie scored 27 points and had six assists last season against Baylor.

“They don’t have a guy that gets to the paint every time like Collin does,” Mitchell said. “They kind of rely on the post. I wouldn’t say they’re a completely different team because they still played a little bit the same, but they don’t have that guard that can get to the paint every time like Collin did.”