It was the day of the big game, and every Villanova student woke up with excitement, but also with a little pang of anxiety. Since the Wildcats whooped Oklahoma's butts a few days before, in the Final Four game, we were set up to play the feared UNC Chapel Hill team. Throughout the day, everyone on campus dressed themselves in their lucky Villanova gear and slowly headed over to the Pavilion for the game watch party. After hours of waiting, over three thousand students crowded into the arena and waited for the game to begin.
There were activities and a DJ to entertain us, and although everyone looked like they were having fun on the dance floor, you could tell that deep down, we were all nervous. Of course, we had hope for our team, but that doesn't mean we weren't scared about the possibility of losing to the fearful Tarheels. The countdown to the game started, everyone took their seats, and an overwhelming amount of students joined their hands in prayer. The clock finally struck 9:19 and the crowd went wild.
Point after point after point, the Nova Nation cheered and booed. Whenever we got points, our arms would shoot in the air and we would scream to the heavens. Whenever UNC got points, the room was filled with boos so loud that they could have crumbled the Pavilion to the ground. Our team relentlessly and impregnably made buckets against the team the country thought would crush us. Our boys played to their fullest potential and crushed the brackets of those who didn't believe we could even get past the sweet sixteen.
The score was tied for most of the game, but in the last few minutes, Nova got ahead and we easily anticipated the win. The last five minutes were the longest minutes of our lives. With a minute left, UNC shot a three and we were tied once again. Suddenly, the arena became dead silent. Not a soul was yelling and we just looked at each other with big eyes filled with tears and our mouths dropped to the ground. In that moment, I prayed to everyone I knew, including our president, Father Peter, Saint Augustine, and even Beyonce.
Six seconds left. The ball was ours. The star, Ryan Arcidiacono, had the ball and in the last second, he made the unselfish decision to pass it to the three-point-king, Kris Jenkins. Jenkins throws the ball, the crowd starts screaming, and just as the buzzer goes off, the ball flawlessly fell into the basket and VILLANOVA WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
In that split second, a waterfall of tears came out of my eyes, I screamed as loud as I could, and I hugged everyone in sight. Everyone in the Pavilion shouted with elation and pride because we have come to love our team more than anything else. The Wildcats, a team that the country expected to fail, won the National Championship for the first time in 31 years.
We all immediately sprinted out of the arena and onto the intersection of Ithan and Lancaster Ave, completely blocking any cars from passing through. We rioted through the streets and the only thing stopping us from getting crazier was the line of the SWAT team that were there to protect us from getting hurt. Students hugged and kissed each other while other students climbed street poles and set fire to the street. The feeling of victory rushed through our veins and fueled our rage. In the quad area, hundreds of students sprayed beer and champagne on each other and celebrated the unbelievable victory. Music blasted, people danced, and our dreams of being champions came true. We truly partied like it was 1985 and the feeling of love and community was palpable on this night of nights.
The underdogs, or in this case the under~cats~, won the game that was deemed impossible. But through school pride, spirit, and love, Villanova came through and cheered during the most stressful game we have ever seen. The boys played with all of their hearts and it really showed. They worked their butts off to bring the national title home and the years of hard work paid off. These new heroes will forever have a place in every Nationers' heart. The victory is still so very surreal to us all and we will continue to celebrate this for the rest of our lives. While one team stands tall, the other 63 fall. Villanova reigns as the National Champions for the first time in three decades and April 4th will go down in history.
