Forty Minutes From Houston
I woke up this morning and realized that this really wasn’t a dream. Villanova is in the Elite 8 and is forty minutes from heading to Houston. I can’t possibly begin to describe my excitement for this team and genuinely don’t know if there is a team out there that is more deserving than this one.
Like many, I felt uneasy all day. I was anxious, nervous, and doing just about anything to keep my mind off of the game. But, four o’clock did roll around, and I found myself at The Brown Hotel amongst a sea of Wildcat fans ready to send the team off. I must say, I am so impressed with the Villanova showing here in Louisville. When I walked into the hotel, I expected to see a number of fans but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine seeing that many people donning the Villanova blue and white.
The send-off was tremendous. The Villanova band did a great job of entertaining the fans and the energy in the hotel lobby was infectious. As the team emerged to head to the bus, a roar from the fans erupted. One by one, the players made their way through the crowd, clapping hands and throwing up the “V’s.” The highlight of the exit was Coach Wright making his way through the crowd, with his arm over the shoulder of Rollie Massimino. Coincidence or not, the last time Villanova played an NCAA tournament game in Kentucky was back in 1985, and we all know how that story played out…
I made my way over to the KFC Yum! Center from the hotel, as Villanova fans filled the streets, shouting, “Let’s Go Nova!” I ended up walking with a man who felt the same anxiety as I did. We ended up talking about Villanova’s strengths, what needed to be done to secure the win, and how we’ve had these giant pits in our stomachs for the past two games. Come to find out, I was walking with Mr. Lowe, senior Henry Lowe’s father. It was nice to find out that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, but we both reassured each other that if any team could take care of business, it was this one.
I’d be lying if I said I felt that Villanova had the game in the bag at any point in time. I started to feel good when the team went up by 14, but that quickly changed as Miami charged down the court and knocked down three straight three pointers. It wasn’t until about the under four timeout in the second half that I could take a deep breath and relax.
Coach Wright summed it up best post-game:
You can just see they're hungry. They're hungry to advance. They're hungry to prepare. It's all coming from them. It's really -- that's when you're a good team. When the players take over responsibility for all your core values, you're a good team. It's Daniel and Arch, the seniors, but it's everyone else buying in.
We're definitely playing our best basketball right now. We haven't played this well in any game this season. And that's your goal.
Villanova is in the Elite 8. Wow. This was a dream of mine for one of the BIG EAST teams since the beginning of the season and it’s coming true. Now, we wait. I look forward to seeing the players today during their media responsibilities and see how they’re feeling.
Villanova. Kansas. 8:49 pm. CBS. Forty minutes from Houston. We need you, BIG EAST fans!