NEW ORLEANS — In what world is Villanova, the winningest males’s faculty basketball crew within the final 5 years, the underdog?
Welcome to a Ultimate 4 solid that features three of essentially the most storied applications within the sport’s historical past, showcasing 14 mixed nationwide championships. Villanova vs. Kansas is the first game of the Final Four on Saturday (6:09 p.m. ET) — one which Jayhawks coach Invoice Self refers to because the “undercard,” with Duke vs. North Carolina taking much of the spotlight.
Villanova coach Jay Wright, who piloted the Wildcats to national titles in 2016 and 2018, said he embraces being the newest of the blue bloods but is intentional about carving out his team’s identity.
“Do I feel anything about being here with them? Hell yeah,” Wright stated of sharing the stage with the opposite applications. “We have great respect for them, the tradition, history and the teams they are right now. They’re the three best teams playing their best basketball right now.
“We never aspire to be one of those programs. As a matter of fact, we fight the urge to try to be like them because we’re just so different. We just try to be the best Villanova we can be.”
Villanova (30-7) is a No. 2 seed and claimed the South Regional title but is considered an underdog against No. 1 seeded Kansas. The Jayhawks have hit another gear with bench player Remy Martin, a transfer from Arizona State who has exploded in this NCAA Tournament to lead the team in scoring in second-round and Sweet 16 wins.
Villanova, meanwhile, will be without starting guard Justin Moore, who hurt his Achilles in the Wildcats’ Elite Eight win over Houston.
Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels said being counted out in this Final Four is similar to what the team heard at the start of last year’s NCAA Tournament, with Big East player of the year Collin Gillespie out with a season-ending knee injury, when the Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 5 seed. Many analysts had predicted those Wildcats would fall in the first or second round.
With Gillespie and Samuels back as fifth-year seniors, Villanova has the most seasoned roster of all four teams in New Orleans. And yet it’s still the team receiving little hype.
“Yes, it’s very tough that we lost Justin,” Samuels said. “And it does hurt a little bit. But these guys are ready. The same guys put in the same work as Justin all year. A lot of people don’t see the hours they put in after the games, before the games, and they’re ready to go and they’re ready to contribute.”
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Villanova finds itself in a strange place: underdog role in Final Four
