PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Every year, Villanova coach Jay Wright says his team never takes the NCAA Tournament for granted. It was never more evident this season.
The Wildcats and the rest of the college basketball world were forced to stay home last March when the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite several setbacks, the NCAA Tournament is back in 2021.
Wright and his Wildcats experienced their own issues with COVID-19 but are now focused and grateful as the tournament is set to get underway.
“It’s such an honor to play in the NCAA Tournament,” said Wright. “But I think this year, just to be able to make it to this point and know you’ve got a chance to play in this great tournament is an incredible accomplishment.”
Many of the Wildcats will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, like sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The forward said the past 12 months have forced everyone to look at the bigger picture when it comes to life outside of basketball.
“I’m super grateful for myself and I think everybody a part of Villanova basketball is as well,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to take a step back from basketball just and look at life.”
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This will be an NCAA Tournament like no other. For safety reasons, all of the games are being played in Indiana. Fan capacity is limited to 25%, so players will be dealing with ticket requests for the first time this season.
Wright said it is always better to have fans in the stands, but the players will be a bit more isolated than in previous years.
“It might distract the kids a little bit,” Wright added. “This will be the first time they get tickets for these games for all of their family, and I’m sure everybody’s going to want to be out there, but we can’t see anybody. We’ll be locked in the bubble.”
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The Wildcats are seeded fifth and will face a difficult first-round opponent. Villanova will take on Winthrop, the Big South champion that finished 23-1 on the season.
Senior point guard Collin Gillespie is sidelined with a knee injury, so some believe this year may be an early exit for the Wildcats. However, senior Jermaine Samuels isn’t going to complain about the matchup. Just like the players on the other 67 tournament teams, Samuels and the rest of the Wildcats are grateful.
“Last year we didn’t get a chance to play in it,” Samuels said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to play in the post-season. I’m definitely not going to take it for granted.”