With the sports world grinding to a halt and college basketball fans left lamenting the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, we’re doing what we can to make the best of the situation. With that in mind, we’re going to spend the next few weeks revisiting some important moments in Villanova history, and with the Wildcats’ recent success there will be plenty for us to enjoy.

March 25, 2018 Villanova 71 Texas Tech 59

After running through Radford, Alabama, and West Virginia the one-seed Wildcats were on the precipice of another Final Four with the third-seeded Rad Raiders of Texas Tech standing in their way. Villanova had dispatched its first three opponents by an average of 20.3 points and the run of double-digit margins would continue as the Wildcats punched their ticket to the Final Four.

There was some early stress for the ‘Nova faithful, as Texas Tech jumped out to leads of 7-0 and 9-1. But the Wildcats would quickly restore order and took their first lead with 12:10 to go, 15-13. All told, Villanova would outscore the Red Raiders 35-14 over the rest of the first half to take a 36-23 lead into the break.

The ‘Cats would build the lead to 15 early in the second half and control things much of the way, but Texas Tech wasn’t prepared to let a Final Four opportunity slip away without a fight. The Red Raiders clawed within eight with 7:43 to play and within five at the 6:01 mark.

Tech stayed within striking distance for several minutes, still trailing by five with 4:13 to play before the ‘Cats were able to start putting a little extra distance between themselves and the Red Raiders. They pushed the lead back to eight, but Tech was still within six with 2:12 to go.

After a Jalen Brunson layup restored the lead to eight, Villanova would proceed to ice the game at the free-throw line. The ‘Cats would go 8-of-8 from the charity stripe over the final 1:06 to walk away with the 12-point win and a trip to the Final Four.

The vaunted Texas Tech defense did a good job limiting the Villanova offense. The ‘Cats shot just 33.3 percent from the field and a dismal 16.7 percent from three, connecting on just four long-range attempts. They were actually outscored by three points from beyond the arc. Villanova also committed 12 turnovers while the Red Raiders had just nine.

Ultimately, this game was won at the free-throw line and on the glass. The ‘Cats dominated the boards, outrebounding Tech 51-33. They pulled down a whopping 20 offensive rebounds. Just as important, ‘Nova earned 35 trips to the line, connecting on 29 of them (82.9 percent). Villanova was +15 from the charity stripe.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 15 points. He added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals and hit 7-of-8 from the line.

Eric Paschall, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo had 12 points apiece. Paschall added 14 rebounds and went 8-of-10 from the line. Bridges chipped in five rebounds and two steals while going 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. DiVincenzo pulled in eight rebounds, handed out one assist, and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the line.