Villanova Wins BIG EAST Title
March 14, 2015
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to BIGEAST.com
The first smiles didn't appear on the Villanova bench until there was just over a minute and a half to play in what would become a convincing 69-52 Villanova victory over Xavier in the BIG EAST Championship Game at the Garden. This was, after all, a business trip to the Big Apple for the Wildcats but now that business was over and the Wildcats were about to party like it was 1995.
Seniors JayVaughn Pinkston and Darrun Hilliard had just called it a night with 1:36 to play, leaving the court to thunderous applause and chants of "1 seed" from the throng of Nova Nation that packed the Garden. There were hugs and high fives and smiles all around. Finally Jay Wright, the mastermind behind this record-setting Villanova team, put his coaching face away and allowed himself to enjoy the moment as well. It had been 20 years of empty trips to New York each March for the Wildcats, two decades of heartbreak and frustration that all ended Saturday night with Villanova's first BIG EAST tournament championship since 1995.
"It's a thrill, man," said Wright, whose Wildcats are now 32-2 and headed for a No. 1 seed in upcoming NCAA Tournament. "I grew up coming to this tournament as a fan. When I coached at Hofstra I would make sure, even if we were in the championship game which was at 11:00 (a.m.), I'd come here to this tournament to watch Villanova. This is my favorite tournament."
Unlike Villanova's semifinal game with Providence, who pushed the Wildcats to the brink before Nova grabbed a 63-61 win, Wright's crew was in control from start to finish vs. Xavier. Nova jumped out to a 34-21 lead at intermission then built leads as large as 20 points in the second half as the Musketeers, who made some big noise themselves in the tournament by knocking off both No. 2 Georgetown and No. 3 Butler, could never get closer than 16 points in the second half.
It was a performance that left Xavier had coach Chris Mack singing the Wildcats' praises.
"I know the guys next to me (Dee Davis and Myles Davis) and some of the guys in the locker room are tired of hearing it, but that's where the bar is in this league. They set the standard," Mack said. "They have a chance to win a National Championship and they are not given nearly enough credit for how tough a team they are, how hard they play, how unselfish they are. They're the true definition of a team."
To Mack's point, the Wildcats got contributions from up and down the roster, just as they have all season. Dylan Ennis led all Villanova scorers with 16 points, but he had lots of help securing the victory. There was Josh Hart, the BIG EAST's Sixth Man of the Year, scoring 15 points, Darrun Hilliard adding 12, Brooklyn's JayVaughn Pinkston, playing his final game in his home city, scoring seven, grabbing four boards, dishing three assists and doing all the little things that don't show up in the box score. Daniel Ochefu grabbed seven rebounds and helped Villanova win the battle of the boards and Ryan Arcidiacono, as he has done all season, ran the whole Wildcat show with aplomb.
No stars, just the very definition of a team, and now one that has handed Villanova its' second BIG EAST championship.
"As players we're very excited about it," Ennis said. "I think every player would say they're really excited for coach as well. Coach has been grinding with Villanova for a long time. For us to be finally able to give it to him, we're happy about that."
Hart was named the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament after a sensational three-day stay in New York. But when he was asked what it feels like to have his name linked forever to former winners such as Chris Mullin, Patrick Ewing and Kemba Walker, the focus almost immediately went back to the team.
"It's definitely humbling to be on that list of guys," said Hart, the first bench player to win the MOP award after scoring 53 points on 21-for-29 shooting in the tournament. "But like I said, I got my teammates to thank for that."
Villanova became the first team in BIG EAST history to win 15 conference games in a row during the same season and win the BIG EAST Tournament title.
As the Wildcats players danced on the court following the final horn, Ochefu and Hilliard held up the BIG EAST 2015 Champions sign and Nova Nation soaked up every minute of it. But Wright stayed away from the fray, standing across the court near the Villanova bench as he allowed his players to revel in their accomplishment. Later, when it came time to cut down the nets, Wright gave up the chance at the final snip, a moment reserved for coaches, and instead had Pinkston make the final cut. One last highlight in his college career in front of his home town crowd.
"He means so much to our team," Wright said. "He really exemplifies what our guys are all about. He came (to Villanova) as a McDonald's All-American. He was a leading scorer on this team and in his senior year he just did whatever the team needed him to do and he just sacrificed all year. He's in New York City, which means the world to him. This was a beautiful experience for all of us to watch him."
Now the Wildcats will gather on the Main Line Sunday for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to see if they indeed grab a coveted No. 1 seed and get ready to go to work all over again. But first Wright and his Wildcats are going to enjoy this long-awaited title and squeeze every bit out of this celebration.
"I love the NCAA Tournament, obviously," Wright said. "But this is where we're all from. We're all from the Northeast. New York, Madison Square Garden is the Mecca and so to come here and play in it is a thrill for us. To win it, I can't even tell you. I don't know if it's really sunk in yet. I do know that we're going to have to forget about it, though, on Monday."