The madness is over, and Villanova was the team to finish at the top of the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats won the national championship over Michigan on April 2, 79-62. This win is Villanova’s second national championship in three years. The other win coming over North Carolina in a thriller in 2016.
In a game that was shaping up to be a competitive contest quickly became the Donte DiVincenzo show. A player who had won the 6th man of the year award was the game’s most unlikely hero. Having a career-high 31 points, DiVincenzo could not be stopped as he shot 10 for 15 in field goals, and 5 for 7 in three-point range.
In a way, there was a sense of "passing of the torch" from one-star player to another. Jalen Brunson, the team's star player only recorded nine points, a season low. Brunson having graduated, he will move on to the NBA, and for DiVincenzo, he is in prime position to take the next big role on the team.
Villanova and head coach Jay Wright do something a lot of schools don’t, they recruit players that want to be in college. They don’t want the one and done players. The team is veteran and the most seasoned in the country. As the veteran players leave, players like Donte DiVincenzo step up.
The word dynasty will begin to float around, and for the right reasons. Winning two national championships in three years is uncommon, it’s almost unheard of in Men's college basketball. Wright has not just built the Wildcats into a Big East powerhouse, but he’s built them into a nationally elite program.
