Not this time — but for a program like Villanova, there always seems to be a next time
David Woods
INDIANAPOLIS – Villanova coach Jay Wright said he treated sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl as a senior, believing this would be a final college basketball season before an NBA career. Jermaine Samuels is a senior and said he had not yet thought about returning, as allowed because of the pandemic.
Here is the thing about Villanova. Probably does not matter if either returns.
Because the coach is the same. The culture is the same. The foundation is the same.
Top-seeded Baylor won 62-51 Saturday night in the NCAA South Regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the fifth-seeded Wildcats are 1-5 in their past six games.
Baylor (25-2) advances to Monday game against No. 3 seed Arkansas or No. 15 seed Oral Roberts for a berth in the Final Four. The Bears have not been that far since 1950.
This outcome had nothing to with Butler or Hinkle Magic or any of that. (Granted, Baylor coach Scott Drew was once a Butler student manager.)
This was a great team — a “team capable of winning a national championship,” Wright said — beating a great program.
Statements afterward reflected why Villanova has been 16-3 in the NCAA tournament since 2016, been NCAA champion twice in that span and won seven of eight regular-season titles in the realigned Big East.
In the immediate aftermath, Samuels said, it was “kind of a shock” to end the season.
“We feel like we had a lot of basketball left to play,” he said. “When it finally hit, everybody was just thankful we were a part of this journey and that we were on it together. Everybody — from coaching staff to managers to G.A.’s — we’re just grateful for each other.”
Wright said he viewed setbacks of the season, in which Villanova had three pauses for COVID-19 issues, as “blessings” because they allowed for growth and will make the players stronger.
“People have lost jobs, lost lives. It’s hard to complain or say how difficult this was,” he said. “I think one thing I can say is we had challenges. Maybe not as much as people dealing with real-life situations. Our young players did a great job of dealing with every adversity that hit them.”
What hit them in the second half was suffocating Baylor defense. The Wildcats could not make passes without resistance, much less take shots or make shots.
Indeed, in the second half, Wright said Villanova essentially quit running offense. All the Wildcats could try were drives to the rim or post-ups, he said.
“Down the stretch, their defense just got into us and wore us down,” Wright said.
Villanova (18-7) came into the game averaging 8.8 turnovers per game, fewest in the NCAA. Against Baylor: 16. The Bears led 22-4 in points off turnovers, a shocking statistic for a Sweet 16 pairing.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s four guards “spread us out,” Wright said, allowing them to get to the rim repeatedly. Until six late free throws, Baylor scored 28 of 34 second-half points in the paint.
Villanova led 30-23 at halftime and 39-33 after Brandon Slater’s bring-down-the-house dunk, but Baylor went on a 14-2 spurt thereafter. That made it 47-41 with eight minutes left, and Baylor kept extending the lead.
Villanova has not been the same since All-America point guard Collin Gillespie went down March 3 with a season-ending knee injury. He was here, but only to cheer teammates from Hinkle chairbacks.
Samuels finished with 16 points and sophomore guard Justin Moore with 15. Robinson-Earl had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Wright said the Wildcats could look across the court – at Baylor -- and understand what it takes to advance in this tournament.
“We’ve got a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of guys who can do it,” Wright said. “I like the guys coming back. I feel really good about the team, about the program.”
Same goes for Samuels, irrespective of whether he returns to Philadelphia’s Main Line:
“There’s so much I could say. I’m just grateful to have this jersey on my back.”
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.