Expectations for Villanova this year were the same as any year: Have a solid regular season, place well in the bracket, and then ultimately be upset in the 2nd or 1st round by a no name school. Villanova seemed to be set on the same fate as previous years when they took an upset in the Big East championship to Seton Hall. After the loss, they headed into the march madness tournament as a 2-seed and were bound for failure again. Although the team was going through the motions like before, a sense of security loomed over the club unlike any other year.
This year was different, it had the same old taste but this time they knew exactly how to swallow it whole. Villanova was a squad flourishing with experienced players and was led by Senior captains Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu. Both players had endured many tournament losses over there four-year careers at ‘Nova and didn’t want to meet the same fate.
They rallied the younger players and gained the support from the older ones. They DESTROYED every team in their path and only met adversity in the regional final where they beat top-ranked Kansas. . They breezed through Oklahoma for the largest win in Final Four history. In the end, Villanova was the under dog and they prevailed in an instant classic buzzer beater game against North Carolina.Villanova was able to fly under the radar and the players bought into the plan “everybody has to do their job and we will succeed”.
by Retro
Sideline Champ 