City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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SAN ANTONIO -- This isn’t the first time Donte DiVincenzo and Eric Paschall have gone through the days leading up to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four.

They were both there two years ago, when the Wildcats went down to Houston and came away with the program’s second-ever national championship, taking part in practices, watching literally hundreds of media members filing into open locker rooms, press conferences and breakout sessions, soaking in the atmosphere that is college basketball’s biggest stage.

But when it came time to play the actual games, the pair had to stay off the court. DiVincenzo watched the title game win over North Carolina from the end of the bench in a suit, his freshman season ended by a broken foot eight games in; Paschall in the stands, the Fordham transfer sitting out the season per NCAA regulations.

“It was unique, honestly,” DiVincenzo in. “I was out there with scout team, preparing with the guys, but being in a suit and not being able to play -- not necessarily not being able to play, but not being able to share the experience with the guys on the court, competing.”

“This year,” the Salesianum School (Del.) product said, “I'm really taking it all in.”

Not a single Big 5 player had gotten the opportunity to play in multiple Final Fours since Temple lost in the semifinals in both 1956 and 1958 -- until now.

But for DiVincenzo and Paschall, it means a chance to experience what they didn’t two years ago, a chance to have their own moment in the national spotlight. They’ve become integral pieces for Villanova; DiVincenzo averaging 12.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.5 apg; Paschall averaging 10.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg.

“Just being back here is a blessing,” Paschall said. “Being able to play here and be a part of it, playing on the court with your brothers.”

Though DiVincenzo and Paschall weren’t able to take the court the last time Villanova was in this situation, quite a few of their teammates were. Jalen Brunson was a freshman and a starting guard; Mikal Bridges was a redshirt freshman and Phil Booth a sophomore, both coming off the bench.

All Booth did was drop a team-high 20 points on just seven shots; Brunson had a quiet game with four points in 22 minutes and Bridges added two in 15 minutes.

Now they’re back, and all upperclassmen with multitudes more experience and confidence under their belts. Brunson, the newly-crowned AP and USBWA National Player of the Year, is the team’s leading scorer (19.2 ppg); Bridges, a near-lock to be a lottery selection in this June’s NBA Draft, is averaging 17.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg; Booth is at 10.3 ppg and 2.9 apg, and his defensive abilities are amongst the best on a team that prides itself on its play on that end of the floor.

They’re the only ones left in the tournament that know what it’s like to be here, to play on that elevated court in the middle of a football field, with triple the typical attendance of a game at Wells Fargo Center in the building and millions more watching on television.

“I’m definitely more comfortable,” Booth said. “My first year coming here, I had no idea what was going on and no idea what I was getting into with just the media and the court, the hotel. All the little stuff that I just didn’t know what was going on. “

The Wildcats are hoping that experience actually becomes an advantage.

“I think it's huge,” DiVincenzo said. “You see guys get caught up with everything going on, getting caught up in all the lights and when they get out there they're not competing the way they have been all year. We've been doing a good job of that.”

That last part remains to be seen -- after all, Villanova only blew out Oklahoma by 44 in its last national semifinal appearance, setting the bar quite high for tomorrow night’s affair against a Kansas squad that comes in at 31-7 and No. 4 in the last AP poll.

Villanova’s four wins so far during March Madness have the Wildcats back in rare air, two more victories away from another national championship, one which would solidify this current stretch of dominance Jay Wright has his squad on as one that’s not just of the Big 5 (22 straight wins) and the Big East, but on a national scale.

Two years ago was about getting Villanova back to true prominence in Division I basketball; this time, it’s about history.

“That first time we were here, we did an amazing job of enjoying everything, taking everything in, but also focusing on everything we need to do,” DiVincenzo said. “Now we're back here as older guys, we know what to expect, we know the things we have to do throughout the day, and we just go about our business.”