Villanova’s latest ‘dynamic duo’ earning spot in program history
NEW YORK » Although Mikal Bridges came into the Villanova program a year before Jalen Brunson, they are forever linked, like many of the dynamic combinations Jay Wright has had in his 17 years at the Wildcats’ helm.
Brunson and Bridges are in the same mold as Randy Foye and Allan Ray, Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu and Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, just to name a few pairs.
You can’t talk about one without talking about the other.
“That is a great comparison,” Wright said. “Those two have come up together. They have played similar roles throughout their careers and now are the leaders on this team. They’re completely different players, but they’re similar in their unselfishness and their leadership. The seriousness that they’ve taken their leadership roles as juniors, that’s been really impressive.”
Just how serious they take their roles as captains and leaders, along with redshirt junior Phil Booth, has been on display in the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden. They have shined on the league’s biggest stage.
The duo combined for 46 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two blocked shots and two steals in Thursday’s quarterfinal romp over Marquette.
Brunson and Bridges lit up MSG again Friday night as the Wildcats (29-4) rolled over sixthseeded Butler, 87-68. They combined for 35 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot and four steals to send Villanova to the final for the fourth year in a row and the ninth time in program history.
Bridges scored 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting overall, 4-for-8 from 3-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds, made two steals, blocked a shot and handed out an assist to put his name on the list of players to watch for the outstanding player of the tournament.
Brunson is on that watch list, too. He shot 6-for-10 (3-for-6 from 3) for 17 points. He also grabbed three rebounds, had three assists and two steals to put the Wildcats in a position to win their second straight Big East tournament title and third in four years.
Bridges and Brunson set the tone from the start. They had a hand in 17 points during a 19-0 opening game run that sealed Butler’s fate before most of the fans had a chance to get comfortable in their seats. Bridges had seven points and Brunson added four points and three assists and Villanova led by double digits the rest of the way to set up a championship meeting Saturday night (6:30, FS1) against fifth-seeded Providence, which rallied from a 17-point deficit with 15:20 to play to knock off topseeded and third-ranked Xavier in overtime, 75-72.
Odds are Brunson and Bridges will have a say in how the championship game turns out, though in different ways. That’s what makes them work so well together.
Bridges is long and athletic, and just as good on the defensive end as he is on the offensive side of the ball. At 6-7 with a 7-0 wingspan, the redshirt junior swingman can play a variety of positions and create havoc defensively on the wing and at the rim.
Against Marquette, Wright went with a small lineup several times with Bridges at the five in an effort to slow down sharpshooters Markus Howard and Andrew Rowsey. Howard and Rowsey did combine for 45 points, but cooled off in the second half.
Brunson is calm and calculating, the ultimate point guard. He makes everyone around him better, yet also has the ability to put the team on his back.
“We’ve played for each other for three years,” Bridges said. “We hang out together off the court so there’s good chemistry there. That’s everybody on this team. We have great chemistry. That’s why we play so well together.”
“I think it starts off the court, the way our relationship is off the court,” Brunson said. “Everyone on this team is so close that once we’re on the court it makes it second nature that we have no other choice but to trust each other.”
Brunson has been labeled as stoic, emotionless, but that’s not really true. He shows emotion, just not while the ball is in play. He’s not afraid to show his emotions as the team heads to the bench for a timeout or during other stoppages in play.
Bridges wears his emotions on his sleeve. He’ll look at the bench to get his teammates pumped up or thrust his fist in the air after a big play.
Mostly, though, they’re not afraid to lead, like the dynamic duos that came before them.
Brunson picked up his second foul with eight minutes left in the first half Friday night and went to the bench. He did not sulk or show any kind of emotion that would make him appear to be mad or upset with himself. Instead, he became like a sixth coach on the bench, yelling instructions and talking to his teammates during timeouts.
As he has said many times, being a leader means doing whatever needs to be done to help the team and that’s what Bridges and Brunson did at the Garden Friday night.