Villanova proud of run that ended in Sweet 16
The mood in the Villanova locker room after Saturday’s 62-51 loss to Baylor in the South Regional semifinals was one you would expect.
There was sadness and, of course, some tears. That’s the way it is for 67 of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Only one team gets to experience the thrill of victory. For the rest it’s the agony of defeat.
“At first, it was kind of like in shock,” senior forward Jermaine Samuels said of the sudden end to Villanova’s season. “We still feel like we have a lot of basketball left to play. But it is what it is. When it finally hit everybody was just thankful that we were part of this journey and that we were on it together — everybody, from coaching staff to managers, the GAs, just grateful for each other. It’s been a hell of a year.”
One like no other, a roller coaster ride filled with highs and lows right from the start. Collin
Gillespie, Justin Moore, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Bryan Antoine all missed time in the preseason with a variety of injuries. Cosby-Roundtree eventually had surgery to resolve problems with his left shin and missed the entire season.
Then there were the three COVID pauses and the loss of Gillespie for the seasaon. Through it all, though, the Wildcats showed their resiliency, winning the Big East regular-season title and getting to the Sweet 16 for the third time in their last five NCAA Tournament appearances.
“With everything that’s going on, people have lost their jobs, lost lives, it’s hard to complain or say how difficult this was,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “I think the best thing I can say is we had challenges, maybe not as much as people who are dealing with real-life situations. But our young players did a great job of dealing with every adversity that hit them. All of our quarantines, we had three of them, and our injuries, that’s what you learn. As an 18-to 22-year-old in college
you learn how to deal with these things with some coaching and how to respond to those challenges.
“And I thought our guys did a great job. I’m really proud of it. And I looked at all those challenges as blessings for us, that we could be fazed from them, learn from them, and I think it’s going to make us stronger going forward.”
The Wildcats will most likely have to replace Gillespie, Samuels and sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, although that is not completely certain. Gillespie and Samuels could opt to come back. Last October the NCAA granted winter sports athletes an extra year of eligibility
in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Honestly, I’m probably not even going to think about it,” Samuels said. “I’m probably going to keep my mind off of basketball for a little bit, try to decompress everything and just take my time. And once the time comes I’ll see what my options are.”
Gillespie said the same thing after he suffered a season-ending MCL tear in his left knee against Creighton.
“It’s always a possibility,” Gillespie said earlier this month.
Robinson-Earl is expected to make the jump to the NBA. He tested the waters last year and decided to return for another season. The rules have changed and RobinsonEarl could do the same this year, but that’s not likely.
“I don’t think he’ll be a senior in college,” Wright said.
So what will the Wildcats look like in 2021-22?
Villanova should have two-thirds of its backcourt returning in sophomore Justin Moore and junior Caleb Daniels. The 6-4 Moore finished third on the team in scoring (12.9) and rebounding (4.1) and second in assists (4.0). The 6-4 Daniels tailed off at the end of the season and wound up averaging 9.6 points per game.
Cole Swider and Brandon Slater also will be back and will be expected to take on bigger roles as seniors. Swider made great strides on the defensive end and Slater improved his offensive game.
The injury to Gillespie forced Villanova to reinvent itself and rely on Antoine and Chris Arcidiacono and the little-used sophomores came through. Both were solid and gained valuable experience in the final four games, as did 6-8 sophomore Eric Dixon.