I guess the only thing that surprised me more than Villanova winning its third straight Big East title is the fact Jay Wright isn’t a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.
The job Wright has done this year with a relatively inexperienced team that lost four players to the first round of the 2018 NBA draft is nothing less than remarkable.
The Wildcats danced in the Garden again Saturday night after holding off Seton Hall, 74-72, in the championship game. Maybe Villanova, who has played in the final five times, does own bragging rights to this tournament.
The Wildcats, who have won two national championships in the last three years, improved their record to 25-9 behind redshirt senior stars Eric Paschall and Phil Booth and put themselves in position to steal a Top 4 seed when the NCAA selection committee makes its announcement tonight.
The 6-8, 230-pound Paschall scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds and Booth had 16 and was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Freshman forward Siddiq Bey also made a key contribution with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a game that came down to the final moments.
Seton Hall’s star guard Myles Powell, who was guarded closely by Booth had a chance to steal the game for the Pirates, but he missed a three pointer just before the buzzer. Booth was called for traveling when he attempted to grab the rebound with 0.4 seconds to play. Anthony Nelson’s long inbounds lob bounced off the backboard and was slapped away at the bitter end.
“This one is special, very special,’’ Booth said. “This team has taught me so much. These young dudes are like a breath of fresh air.’’
Powell scored 25 points for the Pirates (20-13), who knocked off Marquette in the semi-finals, and gave the Cats all they could handle. “Can’t thank Phil and Erick for their leadership,’’ Wright said. “They’ve been great examples of what a Villanova player should be their entire career.’’
Villanova could have avoided the drama. They led 73-70 when Paschal was called for a charge when he lowered his shoulder into Myles Cale with 24 seconds left. Powell scored quickly inside to cut the lead with 15.5 seconds left to cut the Cats’ lead to one and then had a chance to steal the game after Paschall missed the second of two free throws after being fouled with 13.7 seconds to play to set up the final Hall’s possession.
“Things were rocky right until the last second of this game,’’ Wright said. “It’s been a rocky season.’’
