HOUSTON – December is only four months ago, but on Saturday in Texas, the Villanova Wildcats made it feel much, much further in the rearview mirror. Like, we’re talking ancient history.
In the night’s first national semifinal, No. 2 'Nova completely flipped the script and cruised to a 95-51 win over No. 2 Oklahoma, the same team that blew it out by 23 points back in December. With the resounding victory, Jay Wright’s team will play either North Carolina or Syracuse in the national title game on Monday night.
"I can't remember how late in the game it was, but I saw we were up by 30 or whatever it was and I was like, 'Wow,'" senior center Daniel Ochefu said after scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting.
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Everyone in NRG Stadium was in awe of the performance they were witnessing. Again, 'Nova won by 44 points. In a Final Four game. The previous record margin of victory in a national semifinal was 34 points, set by both Magic Johnson’s Michigan State (1979) and Cincinnati (1963).
As it did in the first three games of the NCAA Tournament, 'Nova shot the absolute eyes out of the basketball: 71.4 percent from the field, 61.1 percent from three (so much for not shooting well in a dome), and 73.7 percent from the field. There isn't really much else to say.
"We got shots in here [NRG Stadium] three days in a row," point guard Phil Booth said after contributing 10 points on 4-6 shooting and six steals. "By the second and third day, we felt pretty good in a rhythm shooting there."
You think? As the score would indicate, this was a complete performance. The Sooners came into the Final Four riding the otherworldly scoring of Buddy Hield, the favorite for the Wooden Award. 'Nova, primarily with Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges (but almost everyone had their turn to guard Hield) got right into Buddy’s kitchen, crowding him at the three-point line and making him a driver. As a team, the Wildcats limited Hield to nine points on 4-12 shooting.
Offensively, the Wildcats got whatever they wanted. Ochefu was a monster in the post. Josh Hart (23 points, 10-12 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) got into the lane at will all night. Kris Jenkins (18 points, 6-10 shooting, 4-7 3FG), like he has all tournament, stroked it from behind the arc. Ryan Arcidiacono (15 points. 5-6 shooting, three assists, three rebounds) again played lights out at point guard.
"'We're going to be good, we're going to be good,' we kept telling them," Wright said. "I think they believed that."
Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges, Villanova's freshman, were more than ready for the bright lights of the Final Four. They shot a combined 6-9 for 19 points, and Bridges even did this:
Oklahoma came out of the locker room fired up. The Sooners hit the boards hard, collecting eight offensive rebounds in a little over three minutes. That cut the 'Nova lead to nine. Hart responded with a critical three-point play to halt the mini-push, which kicked off a 33-4 'Nova run that put the game away… and then put it away some more.
The way 'Nova shot the ball, it could have withstood almost any run conceivable.
"We had end-of-shot-clock shots we just threw up and went in," Wright said. "Kind of similar to our game in Hawaii against Oklahoma. They made everything, we couldn't make anything. It was simply one of those nights."
If they were to face an elite offensive rebounding team like say, North Carolina, the Wildcats’ issues on the boards could become a problem. But that is a talking point better off for tomorrow after Nova Nation basks in the afterglow of a perfect performance on the biggest possible stage.
Actually, almost the biggest possible stage. 'Nova will play for the national title on Monday night, and it has been absolutely dominant in reaching that point. The Wildcats have played one close game, and that was a poor shooting effort against the top-ranked team in the tournament. What they are doing is nothing short of incredible.
Now the Wildcats are only one step away from duplicating that magical 1985 run. At this point, are you betting against them?
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann