Louisville, we have arrived! Villanova is the lone BIG EAST team left in the NCAA Tournament and I was fortunate enough to be able to make the trip down to Kentucky and provide coverage as the Wildcats look to make a historic run.
In preparation for tomorrow’s Sweet 16 matchup with #3 Miami, the team utilized the University of Louisville’s practice facilities for practice before heading over to the KFC Yum! Center for their media responsibilities. Josh Hart, Daniel Ochefu, Ryan Arcidiacono and Coach Jay Wright spoke at the press conference, while the rest of the team was available in the locker room. Although many of the questions focused on how similar senior point guard Arcidiacono is with his coach, I was most interested in hearing what the team has been focused on since falling to Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game. Ochefu and Hart stressed the importance of defense, while Arcidiacono discussed starting off the game strong.
Daniel Ochefu - “I think our team defense has gotten a lot better, and it just goes -- our younger guys are stepping up, understanding our scouting report more and locking in more. Guys like myself, Josh, Ryan, we're experienced and we've done this before. We've just got to continue staying in ourselves to demand greatness of ourselves.”
Josh Hart - “Coach Wright really didn't talk too much to us about on the offensive side. It was about defense, about recommitting ourselves to our defensive philosophy…But we're focusing on the games where we don't shoot the ball well, where we can't buy a basket, but we're defending. We're rebounding. We're in the game because of defense. I think that's something that we're really picking up since the Big East Tournament.”
Ryan Arcidiacono - “I think we're starting the games off better. I think in the Big East Tournament, we struggled to start the games off strong, both offensively and defensively. We saw we got down early against Seton Hall. In the Asheville and the Iowa game, we came out knowing the scouting report and executing offensively.”
The team then participated in an open practice on the KFC Yum! Center floor in front of both fans and media personnel. There were a few Villanova fans scattered amongst the crowd, but after talking to some of the Villanova managers, I expect there to be plenty more ‘Cats fans in the building tomorrow. Many Villanova students are planning on making the drive down to Kentucky, so I look forward to hearing them loud and proud tomorrow evening!
A few takeaways from today:
- Don’t ask if the team is lingering on the Seton Hall loss, because they are not. The Wildcats have fully moved on and are focused on their next game with Miami. They aren’t lingering on what could have been, but are interested in what could be. Villanova isn’t getting ahead of themselves, though. They take things one game at a time, with each weekend being a two-game tournament that they look to win.
- Although this is a new experience for all members of this Villanova team, I expect senior leadership to continue to play a huge role. Not one member of this Wildcats team has made it past the first weekend, up until now, so this is new ground. However, all season long, the Wildcats have relied on seniors Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu to lead the team in the big moments. I think, especially now, with the season on the line, these two will continue to step up.
- This team is going to leave it all on the floor. You’d be hard pressed to find a team that plays harder and plays more together then Villanova. Coach Wright has been able to get his players to buy into this system and it has paid off time and time again. All season long, the team has preached playing “Villanova Basketball,” and that sentiment has not changed. The team is focused on putting together a full forty minutes and taking care of business on both ends of the floor. At open practice, I watched as the team’s went through what was basically a shoot-around. However, what differentiated Villanova from the rest, was how hard they continued to push themselves. This is Villanova Basketball.