Jalen Brunson, Villanova’s stud freshman guard and the heir apparent to Ryan Arcidiacono, knew before he playꦜed his first college game that he was going to a program burdened with expectations.
Brunson was playing for Stevenson High against Normal High in an Illinois state championship game, which coincided with the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament game against N.C. State in the round of 32.
Brunson leꦆarned ’Nova’s fate in the cruelest f🦩ashion.
“Their fans started chanting, ‘N.C. State! N.C. State!’ So I kind of knew we lost,’’ Brunson said. “I had gotten to know some of the guys on the team and I remember thinking, ‘I’ve got to help them get further.’ But when I got to Villanova, no one was thinking that way. It’s not about one game.’’
Sunday it is about one game.
The Wildcats (30-5), the No. 2 seed in the South Region, will try to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the past six years when they face No. 7-seed Iowa (22-10) at Barclays Cent🎀er.
For seniors Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, who have helped ’Nova to 112 wins and faced countless questions about NCAA Tournament futility over the past four seasons, this is their last chance to get out𒈔 of the first weekend of the tournament.
Last year’s 71-68 loss to the Wolfpack was especially painful because ’Nova entered the tournament with its first-ever No. 1 seed. The Wildcats put themselves in position clear the hurdle to the Sweet 16 by crushing UNC Asheville, 86-5ꦿ6, on Friday.
Arcidiacono and Ochefu led the way, combining for 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. But the Wildcats also got sol🐼id contributions from Brunson (10 points, three assists, three rebounds), redshirt freshman Mikal Bridges (12 points, four rebounds) and sophomore Phil Booth (seven points, two assists, two steals).
Can Villanova’s Killer B’s — Brunson, Bridges and Booth — be the diffe🌄rence on Sunday?
“I thought Mikal Bridges was gre🎉at,’’ Wildcats coach Jay Wright. “Jalen Brunson, I think he might have taken three of our first five shots. He’s not coming in saying, ‘I got to get it to the seniors.’ And I don’t want hi🐈m to.
“I want those guys to play free. I want them to play confident. So if you see that, I like that. Because I ♏want them to play that way.’’
There were no signs in ꦍ൲the Villanova locker room on Saturday that the players are feeling any pressure about evicting what they refer to as the elephant in the room.
Brunson was needl♌ing Rockville Center reserve Patrick Farrell, who hit a corner 3 in the waning minutes of༒ Friday’s win, calling him, “Buckets!”
Josh Hart interrupted an Arcidiacono interview by ridiculing the senior’s habit of twisting his socks around his calfs to make t𝄹hem tighter before games.
Arcidiacono, w💦ho said he began the habit as a sophomore, has been unable to continue the pregame ritual because the new Nike socks the team got prior to the Big East Conference tournament are too tight.
Whether or not Arcidiacono or Ochefu, who grace the cover of the Villanova media guide, are tight on Sunday, remains to be see🧸n. This is their last chance to add to their legacy.
There’s no reason for the Killer B’s to be tight.
“They’ve heard abܫout it,’’ said Asheville coach Nick McDevitt. “But that happe♊ned for the Villanova program but not them.’’