I guess being on basic cable really did'nt help much....

"The Wildcats’ 44-point win, the largest blowout in the history of the Final Four, ranks as the least-watched national semifinal since Kansas/Marquette in 2003 (9.9M). As has been previously noted, the 2003 numbers were anomalously low due to coverage of the Iraq War."

/http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/201...-trutv-villanova-blowout-oklahoma-viewership/

I think it is really important to note that work the beach did throughout the year, but specifically in the toruny run. We might have not been the deepe team, but the quality of the depth we brought off the bench, in my opinion was the best in the country. The quality of depth brought off the bench between Booth, Bridges, and Reynolds were really solid, depth that most team in the country would love to have. Credit to Jay and staff for developing these guys to really give us some huge minutes off the bench in times of need.

All of those players brought energy, skill sets that were needed, and versatility on both ends to put us over the top.

What Booth was able to do in the championship game was special, a mid who accepted the role and flurished at the end of it to help us win the big one. He hit big shot after big shot in the championship game.

Bridges really the whole tourny being able to defend multiple positions, be the head of the press, and battle down low is special. This is a young player, still developing game wise and body wise and gave everything he had. Also, gave us a huge dimension of play making on the offensive end. His energy is special, he never looks tired. Only getting better, we saw a fraction of what he can do in the future this year.

Reynolds giving Daniel time to rest was big 3/4 of the year. Gave us quality minutes throughout the season and post season. I look forward to seeing how he and Spellman mesh.

Best three man bench rotation in the country that played pivotal minutes all the way through. They were always prepared and ready. Most programs would love that quality of depth. Best part, they are back next year in a extended role, the train keeps on going. To me, that is balance on all areas of recruting and roles in general.

There are 15 teams, including us, that have won two or more NC. However, since 1970, that number drop to 12. Check out the list:

School Titles Years
UCLA 11 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995
Kentucky 8 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012
North Carolina 5 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009
Duke 5 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015
Indiana 5 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
Connecticut 4 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014
Louisville 3 1980, 1986, 2013
Kansas 3 1952, 1988, 2008
Michigan State 2 1979, 2000
Villanova 2 1985, 2016
Florida 2 2006, 2007
North Carolina State 2 1974, 1983
Cincinnati 2 1961, 1962
San Francisco 2 1955, 1956
Oklahoma State (Oklahoma A&M) 2 1945, 1946

It's funny, all the arrogance of fans from schools like Kansas, they only have two since 1988 (first in 1952). Winning another title just boosted our program to elite, not doubt about that.

There are no Nova players on the list of 60. But there are 13 who we beat this year.

Wonder if the Masai Ujiri connection gets DO a sniff when the Raptors pick late in the first round.

It is no secret they we will be on the cover on SI, but with everything being so digital now, I can't remember the last time I bought a magazine. With that being said, does anybody know when the issue actually hits stores? Also, does anybody know a site where you can order a magazine without having to subscribe?

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MC.../chorus_image/image/49240179/SI_Cover.0.0.jpg

Not sure if I saw this...if not, I apologize for cluttering. Great great great article by Fox Sports.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-ba...e-massimino-1985-team-ryan-arcidiacono-040516

First game at the Pavilion next season ???????? Might scalp my ticket for $1000...............not happenin'

My Journey thanks to my wife!

Leave my house near Philly at 3am on Monday morning.
Fly at 5am from Philly to Tampa. 2.5 layover
Fly 10:30am from Tampa to Austin.
Drive 2 hours from Austin to Houston.
Check in at the Crown Plaza Hotel
Walk into the lobby and see 12 Lufthansa flight attendants in training sitting in the lobby.
Drive 15 minutes to the team Hotel.

Walk into lobby and speak to Harold Pressley. See tons of formers players. Seems like it is 1985 when I was a sophomore. Turn to the bar area and first person I see is BEEFER. He jumps out of his chair and give me a big hug. Kjbert comes immediately over to say hello. Hang out in the bar area for an hour so. It was great seeing everyone. Head over to NRG stadium for the alumni tailgate party. Run into tons of friends that I have not seen in years. Spend mucho dollars on t-shirts for my family and friends. Go back to the car to rest for an hour. The long day of traveling and the excitement of seeing everyone and the championship game looming is getting to me. I was near exhausted. 7pm comes and we head into the game. I was supposed to have these great seats 17 rows up one section to the right of the Nova bench. Well the seats were 17 rows up but behind the Carolina bench. My buddy Mark and I are watching this game with 20,000 Carolina fans surrounding us. We are the only ones not dressed in Carolina blue. I thought oh my god I am I going to make it out of hear alive. Mark and I for a pair of 50 something old men are not quiet during a game. We yell and scream and cheer Nova on. Much to my surprise the Carolina fans we great during the game. We talked hoops and cheered our respective teams on throughout the game. Fast forward to the end Kris Jenkins hits the shot and Mark and I are screaming for joy among our new found Carolina friends. Everyone is crying for joy and sadness. Honest to God, I was hugged and congratulated by at least 25 Carolina fans around us. We hang in the stadium for 90 minutes watching the team celebrate and then stand in line for an hour to by our National Championship shirts. It is now 2am. Leaving the stadium a coca-cola guy gives me a coke with the Nova V on it and saying 2016 National Chmapions. He had a pallet of the stuff. I asked him for a few extra. He gives me two twelve packs. Those puppies are in the process of being shipped FedEx back to Philly. Long story short Mark and I get back to our hotel at 5am after partying at the team hotel and the adopted Nova bar in downtown Houston. We have to leave for Austin by 10am.

The journey home. Find a freaking FedEx store to ship the goodies home and then drive 2 hours to Austin. Leave for Chicago on a 3:30pm flight. Get to Chicago at 6pm. 3 hour layover over. Our flight back to Philly is at 9:30pm. Oh shit our flight is delayed for 3 hours. Mark and I go to the bar and guess what is on? The replay of the game. Along with 15 of our new friends in Chicago, we watch the Cats win the title again. Arrive back in Philly at approx 1:30am. Get home at 2am. Stayed up and rehashed the game with my wife for 2 hours. Get up at 6am and go to work.

We had four flights in 48 hours, drove 350 miles to and from Austin. Visited Florida, Texas and Illinois in between. Slept maybe 5 hours since Sunday and watched the Cats win it all.

I know there are a ton of similar stories of folks who travelled from near and far to see our beloved Wildcats, but I just wanted to share my journey and thank my wife of 26 years who said to me you have to get to Houston. There is no way I am letting you stay home and miss this game. My wife has sat by my side for the past 30 years at every Nova game. She tells me to go and she will take care of the kids. I would do this again in a second but with one change. My wife must go with me when the Cats are back in the final four hopefully this happens very soon.

Thanks for reading this. I love my wife and the wildcats. We are 2016 National champs!
Cats win! Cats win! This has been the best 48 hours of my life.

Thanks...RobN

As I sit here reading all the hundreds of posts, got to thinking what do we do now.

Got the Masters this week, not too bad..........Fighten's have already blown their 1st game.........I'm thankful that I have grandkids that play Little league & Soccer.......Rita's is open for the season.........The Eagles don't really show much hope.......

So, when does practice start for next season........October 10 or there abouts.......that's only 6 months; not too bad...

So I was curious on the Kenpom numbers for past NCAA tournament champions. We discuss a ton about our teams chemistry, doing the little things, playing Villanova basketball but we were one of the best statistical teams in the country this year. Clearly Villanova basketball translates to results that are measurable.

Last 10 year champions pre and post tournament KenPom Rankings:

Team: Pre Tournament Rank - Post Tournament Rank
Villanova: 5 - 1
Duke: 7 - 4
Uconn: 25 - 8
L'Ville: 1 - 1
Kentucky: 1 - 1
UConn: 13 - 9
Duke: 2 - 1
UNC: 4 - 1
Kansas: 1 - 1
Florida: 5 - 1

Besides UConns two championships Top 10 KenPom statistical teams win the tournament (7 of 10 were top 5 before the tournament started including us). Every team improved during the tournament as well relative to all other teams -- meaning they played their best basketball for their final 6 games.

I may be biased as a stats nerd but the reality is all the intangibles that our players and coaches bring to the table translate into on-court measurable performance obviously none bigger than winning it all.

Just a tremendous overall season for Villanova -- not just "getting hot or lucky for 6 games".

Tues Mar 30: 17 year old Freddy runs home to check the mailbox before baseball practice. And there it is - a razor thin envelope from Chesnut Hill, MA. He rips it open only to find out that the good folks at BC have said "thanks but no thanks."

Dinner that night was like a funeral. Parents angry. You have to understand where I grew up and the HS I went to, BC is (or was) considered Nirvana. Every college-bound kid in my hometown wanted BC and parents let their own self-esteem be dictated by whether their kid gets into BC.

Wed Mar 30: Freddy does same thing. This time there's a slightly thicker envelope from 800 Lancaster Ave. He rips it open and reads his acceptance letter to Nova right there in his front yard.

I honestly feel like someone else was in control of my life that day.

I used to have a lot of friends who went to BC. Haven't heard a peep from them the last few days.

That is all.

So, I just got back to campus after my weekend in Houston. The overwhelming euphoria I experienced last night still has not gone away, and I keep feeling the urge to watch a replay of the shot, just so I know it was all real and not just a dream. This weekend was an incredible experience, even before that shot last night. Never before have I seen the Nova Nation stronger than it was this weekend. Walking around with my Nova gear and hearing voices from across the street shouting out in cheer at me gave me a new sense of pride in my university. I had the opportunity to meet Villanova alums from a variety of classes and places. Every conversation I had made me more excited to become a Villanova alum in just a few weeks.

One of my favorite conversations came when I ran into the man himself, Eric! I expressed my gratitude for all his work, and I want to echo that sentiment again, today. If not for this board, I would not have been able to witness this historic event. With that, I want to give a special thank you to NovaUSMC01, djrun85, adp98, and tomdudes! Without you guys, I would not have been able to make the trip. I apologize for those of you I did not get to thank or chat with in person, but hear me now when I say that you allowed me to live out the best day/weekend of my life. Not to mention, today April 5th, is my birthday! And I will never need another birthday present again, because yesterday I got the best one of all time.

Thank you, everyone, for being a part of this incredible community. I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Nick Carney
Class of 2016

Posting this because there is some really cool commentary about Jay. Think most will enjoy reading some of the comments from Dante, Billy Lange and others........

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20160406_Sixers_win__but_Villanova_is_the_big_story.html

I did not make it to Detroit 7 year ago, however I was able to get down to Houston this weekend
One of the best Villanova basketball weekends of my life. For those who attended both, how did they compare?

It seemed as if Villanova had almost 6 or 7000 fans show up in Houston, and you really could'nt go anywhere without bumping into someone wearing a V. Was it a much smaller fan base in Detroit? Less Events? Less Hoopla?

That one street with all the Villanova Bars (Bagby St = Dogwood/etc) looked insane Monday night as we drove by. Young Alumns/Students were def out in full force this year.

This was truly a team with each man contributing significantly to an important win. I looked back at game logs and tried to identify the one outstanding game that helped make this season complete. In some cases it wasn't easy, because guys had myriad great games. But in each case, one stood out. Here they are; feel free to argue.

KJ--the Miami Sweet 16 game. 21 pts, 9 boards, 4 dimes, one steal and one block. 8-10 FG, 5-6 3pt. Only one turnover. And one bucket with one second on the shot clock with one foot on the halfcourt logo.

Hart--at Butler, going for 22 and 11. Not the best stats or the biggest stage (that would be in the national semifinal, obviously), but we won that game 60-55 on the road in a tough gym, and he didn't make a three (0-1). Needed every bucket at the rim in that one.

Chef--2nd round against Iowa. 6 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals. One foul. Why this one? Iowa had size, but DO showed he could go against it. Remember his first blown bunny? Within seconds, he had another shot, and he flushed it. NC State was a thing of the past. In the next four tourney games, he shot 20-29, not to mention the D against quality front lines.

Jalen--@Temple, with 25 points in 23 minutes. He didn't have to be the main event in many games (he was pretty darn good against Stanford and G-Tech at Barclays, in career games 5 and 6), but considering the environment, we got a taste of how he'll handle pressure in the coming years.

Arch--New Year's eve against Xavier. We had lost to OK and at Virginia, and people wondered if maybe Xavier wasn't the class of the league. So Arch goes for 27 points, 8 assists, 2 steals, 7 3s. End of conversation, for then at least.

DR--@PC, obviously. Having lost at home to them with DO, how would we fare on the road without him? I got this. 19 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks. 9-10 FG. 1-1 FT. Next man up!

Phil--another no-brainer. The title game he's Harold Jenson 2.0. 20 points, a steal (an interior pass on help D), a block, one solitary miss and one turnover. Money free throws. Huge shot at the end of the half and that fadeaway in the lane was our last bucket until, well, the last bucket.

Mikal--saving the best for last. I was at the Garden when he swooped in like a condor for that left-hand jam while getting klopped on the head, but when I think of Mikal, no matter what he does the rest of his career, I will think of Kansas. 6 points, 3 rebounds (one rather memorable one on the offensive glass), 5 steals, and seemingly 8 arms. He was, simply, everywhere.

Thanks to these crazy 8s!

nm

Forgotten member of our squad, but may play an important role tonight.

UNC has multiple big guys & play above the rim. Hope DR can give us everything he can, box out & contribute!

The Inquirer printed a pull out section on the team in today's newspaper Very nice tribute to the team and interesting read.

per the request in the other thread:

http://vusports.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?ttag=BPM16_cpy_invite_new

The password is "Marchidiacono"

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/04/05/villanova-championship-big-five/ - Enjoy

Anyone notice Kyle sitting behind bench . It was great to see him

Is the Villanova one shining moment out there anywhere? I believe it was shown on the team stream broadcast.

when accepting NC trophy.

Can anyone link this, please?

GO CATS!