Way back in October, when all the experts, prognosticators and all of the in-the-know crowd were having their preseason say, there was not a lot of love going around for Villanova.
The Wildcats would be good, they would say. Just not Villanova good. Sure, they’ll be the preseason top pick in the conference, but being the slam dunk favorites to win the BIG EAST Tournament championship again? For the fourth time in five seasons? Well, no one was about to take that bet.
After all, the guts of the great National Championship Villanova team from last season was now off earning NBA bucks and the departure of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Omari Spellman and Donte DiVincenzo left just two seniors, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, in the Villanova cupboard, along with a cast of unproven youngsters.
Turns out Booth and Paschall were more than enough for the Wildcats, and that young cast? They grew up rather nicely along the way and when Villanova put it all together, it spelled a 74-72 victory over Seton Hall in the BIG EAST title game Saturday night in front of 19,812 rabid fans.
So much for preseason prognostications. But one thing is sure now - this championship rates very high on the list of accomplishments of Villanova head coach Jay Wright.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Wright said. “I can appreciate it. I really can. You live in the present so what you’re doing now is most important and that’s really all that matters. What you did in the past doesn’t matter. This is thrilling. There’s more to this one.”
And what made it even better is that it went right down to the wire, like just about every Villanova-Seton Hall matchup seems to. Wright called the title game a “rock fight,” and it certainly was that.
The Wildcats were holding a 68-59 lead with just 3:00 to play and the legions of Villanova fans in attendance had already started unleash their celebration party. But the one thing anyone who has seen Seton Hall play all season knows is that no matter the deficit, these Pirates never quit. And the championship game, certainly, was not going to be the place for them to start.
The Hall’s Anthony Nelson converted a three-point play with 2:44 to go to pull the Pirates within 68-62. Then Myles Powell (who else?) tossed in a layup off a steal and not only were the Pirates within four, but that Villanova inauguration party began to slow a bit.
Saddiq Bey stopped the Seton Hall surge with a dunk to put the Wildcats back up by six. But two Powell free throws kept the Pirates within striking distance.
“They never go away,” Wright said of Seton Hall.
And they didn’t go away down the stretch, either. Even when Villanova led 73-68 with 48.6 seconds to play, the Pirates kept coming. Two free throws by Nelson and a layup by Powell (25 points) and it’s Villanova 73, Seton Hall 72 with 15.5 to go. BIG EAST title hanging in the balance.
And when Paschall sank just one of two free throws with 13.7 to play, everyone in the building knew Powell would get one more chance to dethrone the champions. But with Booth draped all over him, Powell released a 3-point attempt from just in front of the Seton Hall bench, but his potential championship-clinching shot hit off the rim and Villanova survived another rock fight with the Pirates.
“I think Kevin Willard is one of the best coaches in the country,” Wright said. “I really think he is. We just really respect them.”
Then it was time for the things newly-crowned champions do after they have captured their latest title. Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree ran up into the crowd, stopped to celebrate with various members of Nova Nation and then found his mom, giving her a championship hug.
Then there was the scene many thought would elude the Wildcats this season as they hoisted trophies, danced in confetti and climbed those ladders - again - to cut down the championship nets - again. It was just so, what’s the word, Villanova.
They hugged, they laughed and they danced to Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business. Then they took to the championship podium again, this time after all the trophies had been handed out, and posed for one last team picture. Then, with “New York, New York” blaring on the Garden speakers, Booth took it upon himself to channel his inner Frank Sinatra and lip-synched Old Blue Eyes to perfection. Seems there is nothing Booth can’t do in a basketball arena.
There was one last little piece of news. While Villanova was the first BIG EAST team to ever win three straight conference tournament titles, the duo of Booth and Paschall became the only players to ever win three titles in their careers.
The new was a little surprising to both Paschall and Booth.
“It’s pretty cool to know that,” a stunned Paschall said to laughs. “We never really talked about it. We just talked about being the greatest team we could be, greatest Villanova basketball team we could be and see where it takes us.”
Booth gave a lot of credit to those who came before him.
“It’s nice to be among some great teams,” Booth said. “(But) you can’t really talk about it and try to think in your mind that we won three straight tournament championships. It doesn’t happen like that. I’ve been blessed with great teammates.”
And Villanova has been very fortunate to have had this five-year joy ride with Booth, one that has seen the Wildcats go 127-20 during his time on the Main Line, winning three BIG EAST regular-season titles and now a trio of conference crowns. And let’s not forget those two national championships.
Maybe a name change is in order after all Booth has done in his career at Villanova. How about Phil-anova? Discuss amongst yourselves.