Villanova head coach Jay Wright hosted an end of season conference call with reporters Wednesday afternoon, discussing a wide range of topics. We’re going to break down the call into a few different posts so we can give each topic the space and time it deserves.

We started our coverage of Jay Wright’s end of season press conference by highlighting the big picture topics discussed by Wright. Now, we’ll start to move to the basketball side of things, and the best place to start is with the NCAA Tournament that never happened.

“So now we talk about our stupid little world of basketball and sports and you know, missing the NCAA tournament obviously is tough for our guys,” Wright started when the topic of the lost opportunity to play for a national title came up.

The Wildcats had finished the regular season strong, winning seven of their final eight games including wins over No. 18 Marquette and No. 8 Seton Hall. They claimed a share of the Big East regular-season title and had earned the 2 seed in the Big East Tournament, an event that was canceled before they had an opportunity to take the floor. The strong play down the stretch added to the sting.

“We felt like we were playing great basketball, we felt like we were really coming on. It just is what it is. I think our guys get it,” Wright said.

It’s obviously incredibly disappointing for the fans, who look forward all year to the NCAA’s main event and the chance to watch their teams compete for a national title. But it’s even worse for the players, who put so much work into the season and into earning a tournament berth, and who only get so many opportunities to play on the game’s biggest stage.

“I could see they were really dejected, I could really see it in Saddiq which made me think he was really pushing himself to carry this team, I think he’s very intelligent and knows he’s going to have a decision to make this spring or early summer, I could really see it in him. And in the other guys too,” Wright said of the moment he delivered the news to the team.

As Wright notes, it’s a particularly tough situation for Bey as he weighs his options regarding the NBA Draft.

Wright also found himself handling a delicate balancing act. On one hand, he felt fortunate that he only had one senior on the roster. On the other, he had to balance that relief with the feelings of that one senior, Tim Saunders, who is not only dealing with a particularly difficult bout of disappointment, but is doing so alone.

“He’s the only guy who this is really his last year, and I do feel for him, I really do. But he’s such a great kid, he gets it,” Wright said of Saunders.

It’s an incredibly difficult and disappointing situation for everyone involved, from the players and their families, to the coaching staff, to the fans. Wright certainly didn’t shy away from acknowledging that fact, but it was also clear that he was making an effort to keep things in perspective and to get the focus on the future and what the program can be doing now to put itself in the best position going forward.