Amid upsets, Wildcats don’t mind being No. 1
Villanova faces fellow top seed Kansas next
BOSTON — With all of the underdogs and upsets that have upended the NCAA tournament, no one has managed to come close to Villanova.
The 2016 national champions are headed back to the Final Four, thanks to a fourth straight double-digit victory in a month in which they’ve played every bit like the No. 1 seed they earned.
“This tournament’s a crazy tournament. Anybody can beat anybody,” guard Jalen Brunson said after the Wildcats defeated Texas Tech 71-59 in a cold-shooting East regional championship on Sunday to send Villanova to the Final Four for the second time in three years.
“The underdog (mentality), they may have it. But, honestly, they believe they’re good. That’s why they’re in that position. That’s (also) why we’re in that position,” Brunson said. “We’re a good team, and we believe we can keep getting better.”
The Wildcats (34-4) will play fellow No. 1 seed Kansas (31-7), which beat Duke 85-81 in overtime later Sunday. They will join 11th-seeded Loyola-chicago and its telegenic nun, along with No. 3 seed Michigan, in the national semifinals on Saturday in San Antonio.
Sister Jean, get ready for Father Rob.
“I very much look forward to meeting Sister Jean,” said the Rev. Rob Hagan, the priest on the Villanova bench and an associate athletic director. “I was 12 years of Catholic school and taught by the nuns. I have great respect for the nuns. Usually what Sister says is what goes.”
But if these two Catholic schools — one Jesuit, one Augustinian — meet in the national championship game, the Wildcats won’t be without spiritual support of their own.
“He’s our rock,” said guard Donte Divincenzo, who scored eight points. “He keeps us level-headed to make sure we don’t get too high or too low. So to be able to share that moment with him was actually real fun.”
Eric Paschall had 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, Brunson scored 15, and Divincenzo also had eight of the Wildcats’ season-high 51 rebounds. After starting four guards, Texas Tech (27-10) grabbed just 33 boards and shot just 18 free throws, compared with 35 for Villanova, to miss a chance to play for a championship in its home state.
“We knew they were a great 3-point-shooting team and talented players, but we also knew how tough they were,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “We knew the identity of their team was the toughness and physicality, and that proved to be true.”