BOSTON - Clinching their second Final Four berth in three years, the Villanova Wildcats showed why they’ve set the standard in college basketball in the last five years.
Jay Wright’s built a machine, and despite an off-shooting game, the Wildcats still grinded out a 71-59 victory over Texas Tech Sunday afternoon in Boston to clinch the program’s fifth berth to the biggest stage in college hoops.
“It’s the character of these guys,” said Wright about his team’s win. “They don’t judge themselves by whether their shots are going in or whether they look pretty. It’s how they play for each other.”
Despite shooting 33 percent from the field and just 4-of-24 from three, the Wildcats picked it up on the defensive end to lock down the Red Raiders.
“If our shots don’t fall, we just turn the defense up a notch,” said sophomore Donte DiVincenzo. “That’s just Villanova basketball. We dug in and finished.”
Texas Tech was also held to 33 percent from the field on the day. Even more importantly, the Cats’ physicality can be seen in the battle on the boards, which Villanova won in whopping fashion, 51-33.
“It’s specifically gratifying to see 33 percent (from the field) and out-rebounding them in the biggest game so far,” said Wright. “I’ve learned a lot from these guys, because we were not a good defensive team for most of the year. At some point we said, ‘hey, we’ve got to go back to the basics defensively, and these guys really bought in.”
The win gives Villanova 134 victories in the last four seasons, which sets a new NCAA Division I record for wins in a four-year span. The previous holder of that mark was Duke with 133 from 1997-2001.
Despite a 13-point Villanova halftime lead, Texas Tech got as close as five in the second half. The game’s highlight play came from the guy that Eric Paschall calls Villanova’s “sixth starter.”
After a missed three, BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year Donte DiVincnzo flew in and whammed home a putback to extend the advantage back to seven at 56-49 with less than five minutes on the clock.
“He brings so much energy off the bench for us,” said Jalen Brunson. “It definitely was not easy for him to come off the bench early in the year, but he accepted that role. He took upon that challenge. He knew he was the best player in that position.”
In that play, and this game, the Wildcats flexed their versatility. But as they cut down the nets in Boston, there was a vibe that there’s still work left.
“We’re not done,” said Brunson.
“We’re not satisfied. We’ve got to keep getting better.”