The 2020-21 college basketball season came to an end Monday night with the Baylor Bears taking down Gonzaga to win the title. It was a season unlike any other, and we appreciate the sacrifices of the student-athletes and the hard work of everyone involved in making the season possible. Villanova’s season came to a disappointing end in the Sweet 16, with the Wildcats once again losing to the eventual national champion. Still, there was plenty to be proud of for the ‘Cats as they navigated an incredibly trying season.
‘Nova finished with an 18-7 record, going 11-4 in Big East play and claiming the regular season Big East title. The Wildcats spent 14 weeks in the top 10 of the AP poll, including nine weeks in the top 5.
Season highlights
Jay Wright gets career win No. 600 (12/16/20 vs. Butler)
Nine-game winning streak from December 1 to January 30.
December 6 win at No. 17 Texas
January 19 win over Seton Hall after long COVID layoff
32-point win over Marquette on February 10
March 3 win over No. 14 Creighton, Big East Regular Season Title
Advanced to Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament.
Included in that nine-game winning streak was the win over Texas, a team that would rise as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll and that actually saw it’s ranking improve by four spots following the loss to Villanova. The game was Villanova’s first true road game of the season, as well as the first time the Wildcats played in front of any fans. The streak also included a 34-point win over Hartford, a 13-point win over Georgetown in which the ‘Cats erased a 19-point deficit, a 19-point win over Butler (Wright’s 600th win), a 20-point win over St. Joe’s, and a 17-point win over Marquette. The Wildcats played some truly impressive basketball during that stretch.
That 17-point win over Marquette would be the last game Villanova would play for nearly a month as the ‘Cats endured two separate COVID pauses separated by just a single day of practice. The ‘Cats finally returned to play on January 19 and managed an 80-72 win over Seton Hall, a truly impressive accomplishment considering the layoff.
The February 10 win over Marquette was one of the most impressive performances of the season for ‘Nova. Eight Wildcats scored, with five reaching double-figures. They shot 63% overall, 65.6% from 2-point range and 59.1% from 3-point range. The ‘Cats also hit 15-16 from the free throw line. They assisted on 25 of 34 made field goals. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led the way with 27 points while Collin Gillespie posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists.
The March 3 win over Creighton was bittersweet. Villanova played great and claimed the Big East regular season title with the win. Of course, that’s also the game that Collin Gillespie went down with an injury, putting a damper on the accomplishment and altering expectations for the rest of the season. Still, Villanova’s response after Gillespie went down was admirable, and claiming yet another Big East title is worthy of celebration.
Speaking of altered expectations, the ‘Cats were carrying almost none by the time the NCAA tournament kicked off. After a close loss to Providence to close the regular season and another close loss to Georgetown to open the Big East tournament, the Wildcats were a trendy upset pick as a five-seed against 12-seed Winthrop. The ‘Cats had other ideas, not only handling Winthrop but taking down North Texas, who upset Purdue, in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16. The ‘Cats even managed to take a seven-point lead into halftime against Baylor before getting overwhelmed in the second half.
The 2020-21 season will always carry a bit of “what if” for ‘Nova fans, as it’s impossible to overstate the impact of losing Gillespie. If Gillespie didn’t get hurt, ‘Nova likely enters the NCAA tournament as a two or three seed with a drastically different path, one in which they didn’t run into the eventual national champion in the Sweet 16. Still, there was plenty to be proud of for this group of ‘Cats. Conference titles matter, and Sweet 16 appearances carry weight as well. For ‘Nova to accomplish both of those things in a season with so many difficulties is truly impressive.
Ultimately, this group of ‘Cats managed to build the tradition and lore of Villanova basketball, adding accomplishments to a list that has grown exponentially over the last eight or so years.
Most importantly, this group of Wildcats gave us all some normalcy and something to cheer about and be proud of when we desperately needed those things. That’s legacy enough, but they managed to add that Big East title and Sweet 16 appearance on top. All things considered, that’s a rousing success.
