Villanova’s National Championship Built on Pure Mental Toughness After Years of Heartbreak

There was no parade to be had in Chapel Hill. No national glory in Lawrence. Buddy Hield and Sooner Nation were left scratching their heads. That’s because those teams, and three others, fell victim to the tough-as-nails Villanova Wildcats. Jay Wright’s team won the school’s second title, and first in 31 years, as much on grit as pure talent.

Watching last night’s epic title game, it was clear that North Carolina had a slight edge in talent. The Tar Heels steamrolled through five wins, and at times looked like it would do more of the same against Villanova. But the Wildcats never let the game slip away, and found a way to win. And in true championship fashion, they made the biggest plays of the night in the final seconds of both halves.

Before we talk about Kris Jenkins and the ice water running through his veins, we should go back about 20 minutes of play to the end of the first half. UNC appeared poised to go into the break up by nine, a potentially devastating blow. But a Josh Hart block led to a basket by super-sub (more on him in a moment) Phil Booth right before the gun to keep the deficit at five.

The Wildcats never let the deficit get any greater than seven, and as they did against Oklahoma two days earlier, went on a big run to put themselves in position to win. Naturally, the uber-talented Heels surged back, turning a 10-point deficit with 4:42 to play into an improbable tie on an incredible, three-point shot by Marcus Paige with five seconds to play.

Enter Jenkins.

A Villanova team with several last-second shot plays in its playbook found one more in the season’s most critical moment, with tournament Most Outstanding Player Ryan Arcidiacono dropping it off to Jenkins for a 40-foot miracle to seal the championship. The fact that it came on the heels of Paige’s tying dagger made Jenkins’ heroics all the more impressive, highlighting Villanova’s undying resolve.

On a night when a historically bad three-point shooting team in North Carolina went 11-17 (64.7%) from long distance, Villanova never flinched. The Cats continued to make shots, hit free throws, and force turnovers the way they have all season. They finished their remarkable year 35-5, wiping out some painful memories along the way like a 23-point loss to Oklahoma in Hawaii and a tough, last-second defeat to Seton Hall in the Big East championship game.

Let’s not forget that to knock off a big dog like UNC, you need contributions from some unexpected sources, and Villanova got a major one from Booth. The sophomore guard from Baltimore not only led Nova with 20 points, he came through with clutch shots all night. While setting his career-high in points, Booth picked up the slack for guys like Arcidiacono, who despite netting 16 endured a very long scoreless stretch, and Jenkins, whose heroics overshadowed a team-high three turnovers.

In the end, a Villanova team that has often underachieved in March overachieved more than many people could have envisioned. Tons of credit belongs to Wright, the now-two-time Naismith Coach of the Year who gets overshadowed by some of his peers yet has been both a winner and model citizen in a time when many big-name coaches are embroiled in controversy.