Villanova’s Championship Reign Has Ended, But Dominance Will Continue

By George Kondoleon | Mar 19, 2017

Mar 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players celebrate after defeating the Villanova Wildcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Wisconsin won 65-62. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Villanova’s early tournament exit was a disappointing one, but not dooming.

Villanova Men’s Basketball lived up to the expectations this regular season, securing the top-seed in the NCAA tournament. Almost a year removed from the miraculous Kris Jenkins shot that brought the school its first championship over three decades, the Wildcats were ready to be the first team to repeat since the Florida Gators did so in 2006 and 2007. Doing so would cement this Nova team’s place in history as a dominant dynasty, and place Jay Wright very close to the top in current NCAA coaches.

Villanova avoided disaster in the first round by going on a huge run in the second half against 16-seed Mount St. Mary’s. Josh Hart wasn’t the reason for that run either. Freshman Donte DiVincenzo dropped a blistering 21 points off the bench, hitting three of four from the outside. This set the team up with another winnable matchup against the eighth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers.

The senior matchup of Josh Hart and Nigel Hayes was meant to bring some sort of intrigue, and the game didn’t fail in that aspect. The teams traded punches for most of the game, with one team going on a run after the other took the lead. Both teams were riding on the coattails of their star seniors, and it led to a dramatic finish.

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With 11 seconds left, Hayes took Mikal Bridges to the baseline and got by him using a fake spin. Hayes laid in the dagger as Wisconsin took a 64-62 lead. It was Josh Hart’s turn to make an impact for his team. But as he drove to the lane in hopes of game-tying layup, he was met by two Badgers defenders. Wisconsin got the rebound, and headed to the line.

After the second shot missed, Villanova had a chance for a game-tying three but alas, the reigning champs were eliminated. But this won’t be the last of the dominant Wildcats. Jay Wright has built up the best Villanova era since the 1980’s, and the streak of prominence will continue despite this unexpected upset.

Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins will go on towards a shot of professional basketball, and the team will lose three other seniors. But the team’s future is in good hands. Assuming Mikal Bridges withholds himself from the 2017 NBA Draft, Jay Wright will be relying on him and DiVincenzo to continue one of the best runs in Philadelphia sports. Villanova has a surplus of guards set for the roster next season, and their two top 100 recruits will be hoping to relieve the team’s other needs.

Incoming freshman forward Jermaine Samuels will try to fill in the massive shoes Hart left behind, while center prospect Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree will attempt to bring in a foundation down low. The two are ranked 46th and 85th, respectively. The youthful talent is there, and having Jay Wright lead the way should be reassuring to Villanova fans that are eery of the team’s attempt at sustainability.

While 2016 Villanova will be in the books as one of the most storied teams who had a glorious ending, 2017 Villanova will go down as one of the more underwhelming tales of failing to repeat. What 2018 Villanova will be remembered as is still in question, but at the least it is known that Jay Wright will have this team near the top of the nation once again.