San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TOUGH ’NOVA OFF TO BIG EASY
Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup of No. 2-seeded Villanova and No. 5seeded Houston was reminiscent of games played decades ago: Two dogged, rebound-devouring defensive behemoths scratching, clawing and barreling through defenders for tough-to-come-by points.
One team, the lower seeded Cougars, had aspirations of a run toward its first national championship in program history, and carried the best roster it has had in years. The other, Villanova, has been looking to reposition itself as one of Division I’s most feared programs after a few dismal tournament seasons.
In the end, coach Jay Wright’s Villanova team was too aggressive, too poised and too focused for Houston, which seemed ill-prepared to face an opponent it had so much in common with. And even though the No. 5-seeded Cougars made a big run in the second half of the South Region final, the No. 2 Wildcats never relinquished the lead and won 50-44 to advance to the Final Four for the fourth time under Wright and the first time since 2018, sending the Big East champs to New Orleans.
“It was like playing against our own selves,” said Caleb Daniels, Villanova’s redshirt-senior guard, after the game. “They were just as physical as we were. It was a little street fight every possession trying to get a rebound.”
With just over a minute left in the game, Jermaine Samuels, Villanova’s leading scorer, delivered a driving layup to give the Wildcats a six-point lead, which had blunted Houston’s attempts to come back from 11 points down midway through the half. Houston’s defense, which had been suffocating during its second half run, forced a turnover but could not capitalize, and by the time Villanova’s star guard Collin Gillespie drained two late free throws, the Cougars’ chances were gone.
“It was right there,” Kelvin Sampson, Houston’s head coach, said afterward. “We needed a big shot. In a lot of close games this year, somebody stepped up.” He added: “But we didn’t.” Wright’s team, after an inconsistent regular season that saw it tumble out of the top 10 after being ranked as high as No. 4, seemed to be playing its best basketball when it needed to be. The Wildcats have now won nine straight games, including three wins in the Big East Tournament for that conference title. They entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region and rolled past Delaware, Ohio State and Michigan to reach the Elite Eight.
Villanova won national championships in 2016 and 2018, with rosters brimming with future NBA talent and elite guard play, which has been a driving force of Wright’s tenure.
Villanova’s 2016 team featured Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns, Josh Hart of the Portland Trail Blazers and Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks. In 2018, it was Donte Divincenzo, now with the Sacramento Kings, who lifted the Wildcats past Michigan for their third national title in program history.
Gillespie, a fifth-year senior who was the Big East player of the year, is the latest in a long line of gamechanging guards looking to lead his team to another national championship. He led the Wildcats in points (15.9) and assists (3.3) this season while battling ankle injuries.
On Saturday, Houston mostly took Gillespie out of the game, allowing him to take just one shot in the first half.
“He didn’t have to prove that he could make the big shots,” Wright said. “He could get shots for his teammates, and that comes with humility. If you’re arrogant and you feel like you’ve got to show what you can do, then maybe you don’t make good decisions.”