City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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On the final play of his career, the longest in Villanova history, Ryan Arcidiacono did something he has done for the duration of his 144-game tenure with the Wildcats: He made the right decision.

With time winding down, Arcidiacono brought the ball up the court and laid it off to Kris Jenkins, who hit the biggest shot in Villanova history to give the program its second National Title. The final time Arcidiacono would ever touch the ball as a Villanova player, he had the game-winning assist.

It was a fitting end for the player who said all the right things about putting the team first and playing unselfishly. And he backed up those words more so than any other player in recent Villanova memory. After three years of falling short in March, Arcidiacono ended his college career on top in April.

“I mean, it just happened to be me on that play,” the senior guard said of the last play, in a typical answer downplaying his own role in a huge moment. “I think it could have been Jalen, it could have been Phil. Coach just had me in that situation throughout the year. It was just an honor to run that play.”

What cannot be downplayed is just how vital Arcidiacono, who grew up in Langhorne rooting for Villanova, was to his team’s six-game run through the NCAA Tournament.

Arcidiacono was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and averaged 15.8 points per game in the six victories. He hit 66 percent (31-for-47) of his field goals, 61.5 percent of his 3-pointers (16-for-26) and missed just one of his 18 free throw attempts – good for a 94.4 percent mark. For perspective, his numbers were 41.4, 35.9 and 81.5, respectively, entering the tournament.

Those half dozen games came on the heels of Arcidiacono going 2-for-10 for just five points in Villanova’s 69-67 loss to Seton Hall in the Big East Championship game. It would be the final loss of his collegiate career.

Arcidiacono is sure to be remembered by the Villanova faithful for years to come. Alongside forward Daniel Ochefu, they led a senior class which went 117-27 in four seasons and 97-13 (.882 winning percentage) in the last three years.

Ochefu also stepped up to make sure his Villanova career ended on a high note. The 6-foot-10 Downingtown East product scored 11.5 points per game on 69.8 percent shooting in the six wins and also pulled in 7.2 rebounds per game. Combined, Arcidiacono and Ochefu combined to shoot 67.8 percent in the NCAA Tournament and accounted for 164 points.

The duo which came on campus after a 13-19 season and missed the Sweet 16 each of its first three years finally broke through not just to the second weekend, but to the pinnacle of the sport. The Wildcats might not have made it there, however, if it wasn’t for a short, players-only halftime meeting led by Ochefu and Arcidiacono at halftime. Ochefu noted the team kicked everyone out of the locker room and got on one another to play better defense after North Carolina put up 39 points in the first half.

“In the second half, you know, I looked at Arch, I looked at myself, said, ‘Yeah, we got to pick it up,’ ” Ochefu said. “Thank God we did. Everybody stepped up to the plate. That's the Villanova way. If something isn't going right, we don't hang our heads, don't feel bad for ourselves, just attitude and next play.”

“Next play” was a needed mentality to have after the Tar Heels’ Marcus Paige sunk an improbable 3-pointer with less than five seconds left to tie the game.

Ochefu fell down on the play, and when he noticed the kid tasked with mopping up his sweat was struggling afterward, he took matters into his own plans. Ochefu knew he needed in the same spot on the Wildcats’ game-winning chance.

“I knew the little kid was having a hard time,” Ochefu said. “I knew exactly where I had to set the screen. I didn't want to slip. I didn't want Arch to slip.”

Arcidiacono didn’t slip. Not physically and certainly not mentally. He got the ball up the floor in a controlled hurry and fed it to Jenkins with just enough time to launch a deep three. Seconds later, Arcidiacono’s career was over with streamers falling from the ceiling of Houston’s NRG Stadium and him frantically hugging his teammates.

After 4,592 minutes played in a Villanova uniform, Arcidiacono could finally lose his cool.