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.

April 2, 2016 Villanova 95 Oklahoma 51

The night of Saturday, April 2, 2016, would turn into one for the ages for Villanova basketball.

Despite the lopsided final score and the largest margin of victory in Final Four history, this game wasn’t the wire-to-wire domination you might expect from simply glancing at the numbers and the history books.

In fact, there was some concern for Villanova right from the start. Player of the Year Buddy Hield, who entered the game shooting 46.5 percent from three-point range, opened the scoring by knocking one down from long-range. The last thing the Wildcats wanted was a hot Hield, so seeing him open the game with a three wasn’t the best sign. As it would turn out, the worry wasn’t warranted.

The teams played a close game through the first seven and a half minutes, with the Sooners leading 17-16 with 12:35 to go in the half. But the ‘Cats would rip off a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to up 11 and would extend that run to 21-4 to take a 37-21 advantage with 4:09 to play in the first half.

At the halftime buzzer, Villanova found itself leading 42-28 and could smell a spot in the national title game. The ‘Cats had shot 66.7 percent in the half, including 6-of-11 from three and held Hield to 3-of-8 shooting. Oklahoma suffered through a four-and-a-half-minute scoring drought during the ‘Nova run that broke the game open.

As impressive as the first half was, the Wildcats managed to play even better in the second half.

Hield again opened up the scoring, but this time the psychological impact was much lighter. Jalen Brunson answered with a layup. The Sooners actually had one last gasp in them, pulling to within nine with 16:22 to play at 46-37. Villanova would proceed to outscore Oklahoma 49-14 the rest of the way in an absolutely stunning performance.

The ‘Cats went to work rebuilding the lead, and a Josh Hart jumper with 12:22 to go gave ‘Nova a 56-41 advantage. Oklahoma wouldn’t score again until the 6:53 mark, a drought of 6:03, and by the time the Sooners put the ball in the basket again on a free-throw, it cut the ‘Nova lead to 37. Yes, 37.

The onslaught would continue the rest of the way, and by the time the dust had settled Villanova had won by 44 points. Words fail to do justice to what we witnessed that night, something that had never been seen in the history of the Final Four.

The Wildcats shot a scorching 71.4 percent from the field and 61.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Hart led the way with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Kris Jenkins added 18 points, hitting 6-of-10 overall and 4-of-7 from deep. He also had eight rebounds and two steals.

Ryan Arcidiacono had 15 points on just six shots, going 5-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from three, and 2-of-2 from the line while chipping in three rebounds and three assists.

Daniel Ochefu added 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists while Brunson chipped in eight points, two assists, and two steals.

Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth both scored in double-figures off the bench, with Bridges getting 11 points while Booth added 10 points to go with a whopping five steals.

Lost in the glare of the offensive outburst was the incredible defense Villanova played on that fateful night. Before we lay out the numbers, consider the fact that Oklahoma attempted 11 more shots than Villanova and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds and still only scored 51 points and lost by 44.

The Sooners shot just 31.7 percent overall and 22.2 percent from deep. Villanova swiped 12 steals and forced 17 turnovers overall. Hield was limited to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, including just 1-of-8 from three. It was his second-lowest scoring output of the season. Only one Sooner reached double-figures.

It was a nearly flawless performance from Villanova, and in the process they avenged a regular-season beatdown at the hands of the Sooners. More importantly, the Wildcats had earned their first trip to the national title game since 1985, where they would face college basketball royalty in the Tar Heels of North Carolina with the ultimate prize on the line.