PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For Villanova, there is the understandable disappointment of falling two wins short of a Final Four. However, this season was about much more than basketball.
Villanova fell to Baylor, 62-51, in Saturday night's Sweet 16 contest. It marked the end of a roller coaster season for the Wildcats, who finished with a record of 18-7.
Villanova was forced to deal with COVID-19 issues along with the loss of senior guard Collin Gillespie to a knee injury. A late-season slump left many wondering if Villanova would even get past the first round of the tournament. Senior Jermaine Samuels admitted the 2021 campaign was a different experience than any other year at Villanova.
"This season is unlike any other I've been a part of," said Samuels. "There were plenty of ups and downs, but the greatest thing of all is that no one felt sorry for themselves. No one dwelled on anything. Everybody just kept having a forward mindset."
It appeared as if Villanova's NCAA Tournament run would continue after the Wildcats jumped out to a 30-23 halftime lead, but the Wildcats went cold in the second half and the Bears shook off their early shooting woes. Wildcats coach Jay Wright said the Bears made the plays that needed to be made over the final 20 minutes.
"We were good enough to beat them," said Wright. "They just played better down the stretch. Down the stretch, their defense just got into us and wore us down, and it made the difference in the game."
Wright needed time to digest the defeat, but was still able to put the 2021 season in perspective. While the Wildcats dealt with COVID-19, Wright and the other Villanova members who were stricken by it were able to recover. Considering what many others were dealing with, Wright is proud of the way his players handled their adversity.
"People have lost their jobs and lost lives," said Wright. "It's hard to complain or say how difficult this was. I think the best thing I can say is we had challenges, maybe not as much as people that are dealing with real life situations, but our young players did a great job of dealing with every adversity that hit them."
From a basketball perspective, there is obvious frustration with what went wrong in the second half. The Wildcats were 20 minutes away from the Elite Eight, but the talented Bears found a way to advance. Wright praised the victors and knows his team lost to one of the top teams in the country.
"I want to congratulate Baylor," Wright said. "They're an outstanding team, and Scott Drew is a great coach. They’re just a really good team, definitely a team capable of winning a national championship."