I won't lie and say that my hands still aren't shaking and that I don't tear up every time I think about how we almost had it all. I won't lie and say that listening to ESPN get to say "I told you so" won't want to make me throw a basketball at their face. I also won't lie and admit that Villanova losing actually crushed my bracket too. This was devastating, and though, for some, it's just a basketball game, for Nova Nation, basketball means everything to us. This team isn't just a team, they are our friends, they are our classmates, they are our team. Jay Wright isn't just the GQ man of college basketball, he is our coach, he is our role model, and he represents what it means to be a Villanovan. And for a school that is so small, playing in a tournament full of schools triple our size with players triple our height, having everyone doubt us because we aren't UNC or Duke, sometimes it gets a little rough. The thing about Villanova though, is that our team is more than just a basketball team, and this school is more than just the school who has a basketball team who will “probably lose in the second round of the tournament”. This is our school, our home; this is our team, our stars. This team represent how much love our students have for Villanova, how much dedication and hard work goes into each and every single thing we do, and not many can say that. This school and this team are a family, and not everyone can say that. We believe in something greater, not everyone else does. We play for the name on the front and not the back-not everyone else does. We do better when people say we can't do it, not many teams do. We pack the stadium in the middle of finals week, not many student sections do. We root for our team through the good and the bad, and we love them through the ups and the downs, and not many schools do. This team plays with class, they are respectful, and they know the definition of true sportsmanship, not many teams do.

So you can take your flashy stadiums and your first round NBA picks, your tournament success or your ACC ranking, and frankly, shove it. To ESPN, and everyone who never, ever, ever believed, you can shove it too. To the press, who put the pressure on us, kept reminding us that we were national champions, who kept picking us, thanks for the confidence-but you didn’t do us any good, so you can shove it too. Because you don’t have the kind of Hart (heart) that Villanova has, you don’t have the kind of love for your team that this school has, you don’t have the magic that makes Villanova so special, you don’t have the doubters pushing you forward, and you definitely don’t have the drive, the passion, and the hustle that we have. We are humble, and we are hungry, and we are not done yet. So, if you’re upset about your bracket, or this loss, or whatever you might be crying over right now, just remember that this is our team, and this is our school. We are still champions-and nobody, not one ESPN analyst, not a UNC fan or a Wisconsin fan (what’s a badger anyway), can change that. No one can take away “The Shot”-we made history with it and that isn’t me saying that because I go to Villanova, we really did. No one can take away the pride and joy that our team brings us. No one can take away the feeling of a win in the Pavilion. No one can take away every single amazing thing: every award, every trophy, every NBA star, every win, every net we’ve cut down. No one can take away the kind of people that this school has built, the kind of boys that make up our team. Remember that we are the only people who have a team like this; no other school out of the 64 has it. We are still a school of champions, and though this might not have been our year, it doesn’t mean the fight is over.

It was a dream come true being a freshman and watching my team win a national championship, and this honestly feels like a nightmare. But, it doesn’t make me any less grateful to be a Wildcat. I am so incredibly proud to be a part of this school, of this family and of Nova Nation. You have given me some of my best memories, some of my best smiles and some of the best moments of my life. Thank you for a season of insane victories, hard losses, tailgates, smiles, tears and some of the best basketball this country has seen. Thank you for playing your hearts out, and thank you for playing for the school on the front not the name on the back. We love you, and we’re not done yet.