In three of the last four years, Villanova has been ousted from the NCAA tournament by the eventual national champion: North Carolina in 2005, Florida in 2006 and Kansas last season. This time the Wildcats have the talent to be change that equation.

Villanova arrives at its semifinal showdown with North Carolina having knocked off a No. 1 seed (Pittsburgh), a No. 2 (Duke) and throttled a UCLA program that reached the Final Four each of the last three years.

"I think you could make the case that (Villanova) is playing better than anybody right now," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "Just what they did to UCLA and to Pitt and to Duke, it's hard to imagine anybody playing better than they are."

The Wildcats have won in diverse ways en route to Detroit. They trailed American by 14 points in the second half before winning by 13. Then came a 20-point thumping of UCLA and a 77-54 beat-down of Duke.

That set up this tournament's most compelling game  a 78-76 win against Pittsburgh in the East Regional final, a game that featured 15 lead changes and was decided on Scottie Reynolds' shot with 0.5 seconds left.

The common denominators in the four wins have been offensive balance and perimeter defense. Six Wildcats scored in double figures against UCLA, four against Pitt and three against American and Duke.

After being torched from long range in the first half by American, Villanova has held opponents to 25% shooting (21-for-85) from three-point range.

Coach Jay Wright has assembled a team as experienced (three senior starters) as it is deep (eight players average at least 18 minutes a game).

"It's really fun coaching a team when you know if one or two guys aren't hitting shots you know you've got five others who can make plays," Wright said. "Now all eight of those guys are playing consistently defensively. That's what's making us really good."

Villanova's senior frontcourt of Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson goes 6-8, 6-7 and 6-6. The Wildcats use quickness and athleticism to offset their lack of bulk. Reynolds heads a quartet of guards who can dictate tempo and handle pressure.

Villanova developed its skills over the long march the Big East Conference regular season has become and has honed those talents in the postseason. The Wildcats match up well with North Carolina, went toe-to-toe with Connecticut in a six-point loss and are not in awe of anything Michigan State will bring.

In 1985, the last time Villanova reached the semifinals, the Wildcats were the lowest seed in the Final Four, just as they are this time. Remember what happened then?

"It's kind of eerie how this is playing out," Wright said. "If history repeats itself, I'll take it."