The return of March Madness has brought a historic level of upsets. The NCAA defines them as a win by a team seeded at least five spots lower than its opponent. After the chaos of the first five days of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the 12 upsets that have already occurred are one short of the record, set in 1985 and 2014.
Amongst the chaos, Cinderellas like Oral Roberts and Oregon State and other surprises, the BIG EAST will send two marching on to the second weekend of the Big Dance. A pair of No. 5 seeds, Villanova and Creighton, give the conference multiple teams advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
Both programs entered the NCAA Tournament coming off losses, and carrying a perception of having some questions to answer. And yet, the Wildcats and Bluejays have responded emphatically. Has Villanova’s path been Winthrop and North Texas? Has Creighton’s been UC Santa Barbara and Ohio? Sure. But in this tournament, in this unprecedented season, this weekend showed just how little difference there is in the field of 68. They have found a way.
For Creighton, Monday’s 72-58 win over the Bobcats provided the program’s first Sweet 16 berth since 1974. Back then, the Big Dance was only 25 teams. So, this marked the first time the Bluejays have advanced to the second weekend of the tournament in program history. For it to come a year after March Madness was taken away, and Creighton carried hopes of ending the drought then, makes it even sweeter.
“I’m just incredibly proud of this group,” said head coach Greg McDermott. “The journey of the last two years with this core group of guys has been incredible, and as I told them before the game, this is where they were supposed to be.”
The head of the snake for this team continues to be All-BIG EAST First Team selection Marcus Zegarowski. The junior star guard has combined for 34 points, 12 assists and six boards in the tournament victories. Most importantly, his assertiveness has set the tenor of the game for CU.
“It’s a phenomenal feeling,” said Zegarowski. “We got it (the tournament) taken away from us last year, and everything we’ve been through this year is for moments like this. I’m happy we capitalized and came through.”
Up next for the Jays? A Sunday showdown with the top team in the field, Gonzaga. Tip time is set for 2:10 p.m. ET, and the game will air on CBS from Hinkle Fieldhouse.
While the feeling of destiny rings for the faithful in Omaha, just like he has been the one steering the ship for Creighton throughout his career, Zegarowski is setting the mindset for the team entering the week of preparation for the best team in the land.
“My mentality is you expect to win,” he said following Monday’s Round of 32 victory. “That’s who I am. I’m always going to expect to win. I don’t care who I play.”
“I know they’re a great team,” Zegarowski added when talking about Gonzaga. “I know they have no weaknesses. I know they haven’t lost, but that doesn’t change my mentality. I’m going in telling my guys, they’ve still got to play us. Obviously, that doesn’t take anything away from them. They’re a great team. They dominate teams. We have to have a really good game plan and really execute that. I look forward to these practices coming up.”
Meanwhile for Villanova, the Wildcats were on the receiving end of upset picks across the country entering the NCAA Tournament. Winning their first two games by a combined 33 points, the Cats are on to their seventh Sweet 16 in the last 20 years. In Sunday’s 84-61 triumph over North Texas, everything clicked. The Cats went on a 24-4 run in the first half. They hit 15 threes, with eight different players canning a triple. Sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl continued to play at an elite level.
They made it easy to forget, just watching the dominance, that this team is not even three weeks removed from losing their point guard, Collin Gillespie, the heart and soul of the team, to a season-ending MCL injury. That speaks to the culture coach Jay Wright has built leading the program, and a next man up mentality that isn’t just spoken, but practiced.
“Everybody loses players to injury, but a guy like Collin (Gillespie), he’s everything on the court for us and off the court he is too,” said Wright about overcoming the injury situation. “There’s a lot to it. You know, there’s a lot to it, talking to Jermaine (Samuels) and Jeremiah (Robinson-Earl), saying ‘you’re the only two captains left. There’s a lot more responsibility on you guys.’ Then, talking to the juniors, saying, ‘you guys gotta step it up. You know what Collin does off the court. You guys have to do that.’ And there’s a technical aspect when the guy you run your offense through is out, you’ve got to change the focus of your offense. But the most important thing is, players have to step up.”
They have done just that, with Robinson-Earl, Samuels and Justin Moore carrying the torch. Beyond them, juniors Caleb Daniels and Cole Swider have combined for 35 points in the two tournament wins. Sophomore guard Bryan Antoine, a top recruit who has battled injuries for much of his first two years, has racked up 41 minutes in the first two rounds, adding a defensive intensity to the floor. Sophomore Chris Arcidiacono has started and totaled 25 minutes. It wasn’t the expectation, but the players have been ready.
“We always have this mentality that it’s next man up,” said Samuels, a senior All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection. “All the guys playing right now off the bench have been working since they stepped into the program. Bryan (Antoine), Chris (Arcidiacono), Eric (Dixon), those guys have been working so hard and they have always been ready. Even when Collin went down, we were ready for those guys to make an impact.”
The Cats will need all hands on deck for Saturday’s Sweet 16 battle with top-seeded Baylor. The two will meet at 5:15 p.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse, with the game televised on CBS.
For Villanova, which had the day off on Monday before returning to practice, this run has even stood out to the Hall of Fame candidate, Wright, because of the others who have stepped up on the big stage.
“I’m very impressed,” said the two-time national champion coach after Sunday’s win. “I can’t say we’re surprised because these guys have worked hard in practice. You might not see a guy like Bryan Antoine or Chris Arcidiacono play a lot, and see the improvement (of them), but we do every day in practice. We see their attention to detail, and then they get their chance, and they come through. That’s what makes a player. You’ve got to get it done. It’s a tribute to these guys. They are talented guys. They got their opportunity in a really difficult situation and they produced.”
That’s what culture looks like, and it’s why Villanova has become a perennial power in the sport.