Villanova Rewrites The Record Books In Final Four Victory
John Fanta
HOUSTON -- They do not happen often, but there are those moments in sports that leave one speechless.
There’s that saying, “go big or go home.”
Could it be possible for a team to do both?
Villanova sure made it look like that, dominating Oklahoma from tip to final buzzer in the 95-51 national semifinal while also feeling right at home inside NRG Stadium. Saying that the Wildcats were “on fire” might be an understatement. Jay Wright’s team shot 71 percent (35-of-49) from the field and 61 percent (11-of-18) from three-point territory in a game that saw the Wildcats win by the largest margin of victory (44) in Final Four history.
It was a performance that saw the capacity crowd at NRG give the Wildcats a standing ovation as they jogged off the floor. It didn’t matter whether one was rooting for Villanova or one of the other three remaining in the Big Dance. This was a statement-maker to the world of college basketball, one that could be appreciated by all, and the opposing head coach was not afraid to acknowledge that.
“Villanova dictated everything,” said Oklahoma’s Lon Kruger. “They played great. They were playing with positive energy, having success, making shots.”
The Wildcats echoed Kruger’s point about their attitude in particular.
“I think there was one play in the first half when they (Oklahoma) banked in a three,” said Josh Hart, who finished with 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. “That’s when attitude comes into play. Not being rattled, just when things like that happen, (you) look your brother in the eye and say, ‘attitude, continue to be locked in.”
Villanova took a 42-28 lead into the locker room at the half, which certainly was quite an opening act, but it did compare to what the Wildcats had in store for the second stanza.
Outscoring Oklahoma 53-23 and holding the Sooners to 7-of-35 shooting from the field, Villanova’s dominant defense was suffocating and the Wildcats’ offense improved even more in the second half with a 17-of-22 mark from the field.
What was the key to not stepping off the gas pedal in the final 20 minutes?
An experienced coach and roster are huge contributors.
“I told the team at halftime, ‘Alright, they’re going to come back and make a run,” said Wright. “When you’re in it, you’re not thinking about the game being over.”
“When you have a coach that’s been through it, it all trickles down from him,” said Hart. “We have five great seniors who were focused on playing Villanova basketball for 40 minutes.”
Considering the travel, the distractions, the media attention, and all that comes with playing a game of this magnitude, for the Wildcats to not only win, but win in the fashion in which they did, it’s a performance that will be re-told by Nova Nation for years to come.
It was a showing that fit for the top team from the conference that is rooted in basketball tradition.
“(I have) a lot of pride, I really do,” said Wright when talking about what Saturday night’s 44-point win meant for the BIG EAST. “We’re authentic. We’re all basketball schools. I’m really happy for our league, as happy as I am for Villanova.”