6 National Championship observations you can steal to impress your co-workers
By Josh Hill
Villanova is a college basketball dynasty now, and we should appreciate its awesomeness.
March was indeed filled with plenty of madness, but it all culminated in a legend being born. Villanova won its second title in three years, making the case for the establishment of a new college basketball powerhouse.
It wasn’t a nail-biter title like the first one Nova won, but it was still a great game. If you’re standing around the water cooler on Tuesday looking for a take to have in order to sound like you’re in the know, feel free to steal one of these.
6. Jay Wright is officially a legendary coach
We like to wax poetic about Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams being legendary head coaches who we have the honor of watching each year.
It’s high time we add Jay Wright to that list.
A lot is made about John Calipari being a coaching savant, but how many titles has Kentucky won in the last five years? Wright has taken a Nova program and turned it into a powerhouse, and one that seems like it will be good for a very long time. If you weren’t already putting respect on his name it’s time to bend the knee.
5. Also, Villanova is the new College Basketball dynasty
Nova is just the third team in over 25 years to win two titles in three years. The last team to do it was the Florida Gators, who went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. For all the talk about Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and other legendary College Basketball programs, Nova is the new dynasty to watch.
Wright is the key ingredient here, and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon — which is why Nova is going to be good for a long time. Not only is he a legendary coach but he now has the clout to make Villanova a hot spot for recruits. We’re always waiting for a Loyola to turn the tide for smaller schools becoming recruiting destinations, all the while Wright was making Nova into a powerhouse.
Two titles in three years is beyond impressive, and there’s no reason to believe Nova can’t do this again next year.
4. Donte DiVincenzo was the secret sauce
The best part about teams winning championships is the emergence of players on the fringe that establish themselves as legends. We may very well have watched Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo peak on Monday night, but it was one helluva peak.
While everyone was focused on Nova’s star players, DiVincenzo ended up being the difference between Nova struggling against a tough Michigan defense and blowing their doors off. He absolutely went off and was the Average Joe that we could all latch onto.
He may not have the career Jalen Brunson will have, but Brunson will never have the Shining Moment that DiVincenzo had while helping deliver a national championship.
3. We’ll always have Moe Wagner
Michigan wasn’t able to pull off the upset win and bring home its first title since 1989. It did, however, gift us with something precious we can all share. Moritz Wagner — also known as Moe Wager, also known as the best thing ever — was the star of Final Four weekend. The German-born big man was the face of Michigan’s charismatic run to the National Championship game.
2. Philadelphia is now the Sports Capital of the world
City of Brotherly Love? Try the City of Champions.
For the second time in three months, Philly is going to be throwing a championship parade. After the Eagles won in upset fashion at Super Bowl 52, the Wildcats added another banner to the rafters in blowout fashion.
It’s not just the fact that Nova won another title, it’s the fact that they blew the doors off Michigan to do it. A city is lucky if one team wins a championship and it’s usually earned through blood. Nova breezed to another title and is now a legit dynasty in College Basketball.
Maybe it’s time for the 76ers to keep the train rolling. That’s a process everyone in Philly can trust.
1. The best team this season won the championship
Because March is so mad, it’s rare that the best team in a given year is able to be the last one standing. That’s the glory of busted brackets and the gut punch of every buzzer-beater upset.
Not this year, though. Villanova was the best team in college basketball and it’s the last one standing.
Of all years, this seemed the one where the best team wouldn’t win. Loyola played Cinderella and marched to the FInal Four. Programs like Michigan State and North Carolina lost in the first weekend. A 16-seed won for the first time ever.
Despite the madness, Villanova stood tall and blew opponents away. They won by double digits with relative ease, even against fellow Goliaths like Kansas; Nova dominated everyone that stood in their way.
We were given the best of both worlds: the thrill of upsets and the conclusion that rewarded the team most deserving to be the last one standing.
This is what it looks like when madness works itself out, and it was a thing of beauty.