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UPDATED: May 5, 10 a.m.
In Monday's video game simulation, the 2016 NCAA National Champion Villanova Wildcats defeated the 2018 title winner in overtime. The final score was 57-55.
According to fundraising site Tiltify, the event raised more than $27,000 for COVID-19 response as of Tuesday morning, surpassing their goal of $21,618.
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Which was better — the 2016 team that proved people wrong and became champions on a legendary buzzer beater, or the 2018 team that dominated their competition for a second title in three years?
The debate is sort of impossible to settle in person because the rosters overlap with the likes of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth.
However, members of both squads came up with one intriguing way to get an answer — and do some good in the fight against COVID-19 — while observing the new social-distancing normal.
They created a 2K Sports video game simulation.
“We realized the ’16 versus ’18 debate isn’t over,” Darryl Reynolds, a role player on the 2016 team, said. “We started putting our heads together to figure out 'How do we really solve this?' in a way it could help people and be very entertaining.”
It’s called “Champions For Charity: 16 v. 18,” to be streamed at 7 p.m. ET Monday on Twitch and YouTube.
Donations collected through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday will go to Philabundance.
“Clearly it’s a reflection of all the values and the lessons and the things that we learned in (Wright’s) program,” Rafferty said.
Rafferty, who works at a Malvern investment firm, says this has been in the works for about a month, indirectly stemming from a Zoom chat among the group of players.
There was a rule to not bring up the debate while on Zoom, according to Rafferty, but someone brought it up anyway. In response, Rafferty sent out an email about using the best parts of virtual social interaction to raise money for a good cause.
“Being able to do something again together, come up with a goal and accomplish it together again is really cool for all of us," he said. "And everyone’s had a huge part in finalizing the idea and making adjustments and voting on certain things or making sure that we’re true to what our original vision was.”
They reached out to Estars Studios in Las Vegas to produce the video game simulation to be streamed through WSOE.
Seventeen members of those teams collaborated on each player’s rankings, which will play a factor in the virtual result. Those players will participate in the stream via video chat, which will include Wright.
“And the game simulation will be directly in the middle,” Rafferty said, “so you’ll see all of reactions and trash talk and banter, and you’ll also see the game.”
In addition to the virtual athletic contest, the squads are also competing in a financial competition to see which can raise the most money for Philabundance. When someone makes a donation, they vote for which team they think was better.
The fundraising goal is $21,618 — "2" for the two national championships, and "16" and "18" for both squads.
“We can’t stress enough that anything — anything — helps,” Reynolds said. “If you donate $1, $100 or $1 million — anything helps."
Reynolds, a commentator for the Big East Network who runs his own production company — Stay Tuned Network — is going to host and moderate the live virtual event.
“Yes, I will be biased towards '16,” he said. “Me being the moderator does not make me neutral at all " he said. “I think they were an offensive juggernaut, but I think we were the best defensive team.”
The truth is, it’s a very tough debate.
KYW Afternoon Drive Anchor Ian Bush, Villanova Class of 2004, predicts the 2016 champions will come out on top. For him it’s a debate of “head versus heart.”
“There’s no question the 2018 team would dominate every other like they did throughout the tournament. Every game won by double digits. Four guys drafted in the NBA. But I don’t know,” Bush said. “You put them against the 2016 team — the Wildcats who knocked off four top-three seeds for their first national championship in a generation; 4.7 seconds to go every time, (Ryan) Arcidiacono gets that ball to (Kris) Jenkins; every time, Jenkins hits the three as the clock expires. That is heart. That’s the pick.
"Now, it helps I was lucky enough to be there in Houston for that (national championship) game in 2016, but still — gotta sticks with it," he said.
Kenney Justice, Class of 1987, believes there would be a different result, with a little twist.
“The 2016 team I think would win if it was a street fight, but when it comes to basketball, 2018 would blow them out of the water with that three-point shooting,” he said. “But see, the real question is — both of them would have to take a back seat to the ’85 team (that won it all), because nobody would top that heart," said Justice.