Villanova - 2018 National Champions

[stever20]

I think you can make a case that for Nova perception wise, it was better that they didn't hit all those 3's last night. they were "only" 10-27 for "only" 37%.

Also not sure where you saw 10 offensive rebounds for Michigan- on KP their box score has 6 for Michigan. Nova had 12 including some back breaking ones in the 1st half when it was close....

And speaking of the T's- did you see that was the first T in a title game since Chris Webber in the '93 title game(that's right, that's now 25 years old!)

[Irishdawg]

To think that no National Champion ever before has won in such a dominating manner (every game finished with a double-digit margin)! Even "The Wizard of Westwood's" teams didn't accomplish this with the likes of Abdul Jabbar, Walton, and a ton of other first-team All-Americans. Jay Wright and his staff are simply the best there is at all aspects of the College Game: recruiting, conditioning, practice strategies, match-ups, and in-game adjustments. They set the bar very high which, in the long run, should cause an already very good Big East Conference to get even better.

Go Wildcats!!!!!!!!!! We admire you greatly!

North Carolina did it in 2009.

[Bill Marsh]

Right now Villanova is the best program in the country. Everyone knows it. Certainly all the talking heads on both CBS and ESPN showed last night that they know it. Jay Wright is the best coach in the country.

Imagine what this will do for Villanova recruiting. Imagine what it will do for the rest of The Big East.

[X-man]

Congratulations, Nova and Nova fans. What a year! You are my favorite team, after my Muskies, and you continue to be the standard for the way teams should be built, coached, and play. It has been a joy to watch you dismantle opponents in the tournament, and you did it with class and consistency. Keep it up, and the bar you set will inspire the rest of us. What a great league and league standard bearer.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Right now Villanova is the best program in the country. Everyone knows it. Certainly all the talking heads on both CBS and ESPN showed last night that they know it. Jay Wright is the best coach in the country.

Imagine what this will do for Villanova recruiting. Imagine what it will do for the rest of The Big East.

Hopefully it will not change recruiting much. We have seemed to lock into unselfish kids who yearn for a family atmosphere and don’t want to just jump to the NBA. They’re willing to work hard and wait their turn.

What it may do is give Jay instant credibility if some of the current players can get to the Big Show and stick around for a while. Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, maybe Spellman, maybe Brunson and DD can get there and stick With steam for a few years. Getting to FF’s AND putting kids in the NBA after developing them is a strong recruiting message. And I have a feeling Jay kills it with the moms on recruiting visits.

For the rest of the league I think Jay has provided a blueprint. Gets kids who buy into culture and are not afraid to wait their turn. Focus on the 25-125 ranked kids, not the OAD’s, who can play multiple positions and have multiple talents. And you have to play solid D. I think many of our teams have gotten away from that.

[Wizard of Westroads]

Even "The Wizard of Westwood's" teams didn't accomplish this with the likes of Abdul Jabbar, Walton, and a ton of other first-team All-Americans.

Nor did I with my top JV squads.

[kayako]

For the rest of the league I think Jay has provided a blueprint. Gets kids who buy into culture and are not afraid to wait their turn. Focus on the 25-125 ranked kids, not the OAD’s, who can play multiple positions and have multiple talents. And you have to play solid D. I think many of our teams have gotten away from that.

I don't mind an OAD, but the way it's done at Duke and Kentucky is arguably detrimental for their own program. The worst part for Coach K? He's stuck in a vicious cycle because there's no one remaining on the roster every season. The way it's done at UNC and Kansas are sustainable. And obviously Jay had it figured out.

[ArmyVet]

Be like Villanova? Yes, slimy college basketball peers, be like the Wildcats. Or at least try to be. Their run amounts to the most inspiring multiyear example of an unselfish championship culture and exquisite roster construction the sport has seen since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Villanova is just the eighth school to win at least two NCAA men’s basketball championships in a three-season span.

The Wildcats did it with a style that defies the one-and-done, go-for-your-money, quick-fix, build-an-instant-contender mentality that now haunts college basketball. The game needed the example of Loyola Chicago to restore the charm of amateurism during this tournament, but it was desperate for a team with the characteristics of Villanova to win the whole thing.

At the Alamodome on Monday night, you saw a final that inspired pride after a long season of scandal. To conclude a tournament filled with reminders of college basketball’s dignity — from Maryland Baltimore County’s historic upset to Loyola Chicago’s riveting Final Four run — Villanova and Michigan served as finalists that augmented a reassuring message.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/c ... 75071c02c2

[FriarJ]

Congrats to Nova and all their fans on this board. What a great program and it gives all the other schools in this wonderful conference something to aspire to. How fun it is that the most challenges that Nova gets all year are in our conference.

[anXUfan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/its-villanovas-world-and-college-basketball-should-be-glad-to-be-living-in-it/2018/04/03/f126ce66-3692-11e8-8fd2-49fe3c675a89_story.html?utm_term=.0575071c02c2

Nice article