Villanova Is College Basketball's Clemson

So, one near-predictable Villanova blowout later, college basketball has come to a close.

One could argue that it was not the finish this season deserved. As was well-documented in our power rankings, there was so much turnover, so much parity, and so many wild upsets that 2017-18 has to be remembered in the annals of history as one of the craziest, most unpredictable regular seasons ever.

The tournament was fairly noteworthy, too. Resident cynic Jay Bilas of ESPN (almost gleefully) reminded everyone that we have seen madder Marches-- and it's true, there wasn't the universal carnage we saw in 2011, for example. Still, a 16-seed destroying a 1-seed, a bracket where none of the Top 4 seeds make the second weekend, two 9-seeds in the Elite 8, and an 11-seed in the Final 4 is not too shabby.

Yet, it ended with a whimper, as Villanova's gas pedal never let off the floor of their offensive machine in Final Four weekend. Strangely enough, the Wildcats were more challenged by West Virginia and Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 than they were by 1-seed Kansas in the Final 4 or the red-hot Michigan Wolverines in the Championship. In the case of the former, Nova demoralized the Big 12 Champions straight out of the gate, jumping out to a 22-4 lead and coasting to a 16-point win, breaking the Final Four record for made 3-pointers in the process (nearly doing so in the 1st half alone).

And last night: the first quarter of the game seemed to be trending well for Michigan. Moe Wagner, the only clear matchup advantage the Wolverines (who entered the Championship on a 14-game winning streak) had, was asserting his dominance in the paint. The defense was continuing its trend of perimeter lockdown, frustrating Villanova into an atypical slow start shooting-wise. Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman was hitting the pull-up jumpers that had evaded him against Florida State and Loyola-Chicago. Close to the 10-minute mark, Michigan led 21-14 and appeared to be in control, dictating the pace to their liking.

Then all of a sudden, a switch flipped, and the Wildcats (more specifically, Donte DiVicenzo) could not miss. The sudden barrage, coupled with a hard-nosed refusal to allow Michigan to run their offense through Wagner, lent itself to a 30-9 run spanning the two halves, and very early into the 2nd half, the game was essentially over.

Though most of the Championship writeups have focused on DiVicenzo's performance-- and understandably so, as the sophomore went for 31 points off the bench --I think the bigger story is not that one of Villanova's resident Italian shooting guards played out of his mind, but rather that a sophomore, largely unheralded 6th man could still be good enough to be the one to take over a national title game.

Which leads to the question is everyone asking, or more accurately, the argument everyone is making: Villanova is here to stay. Coach Jay Wright has built them into a program made to last. At least that's the mantra.

The unexpected, rapid rise in many ways mirrors that of Clemson's in College Football. Much as 'Clemsoning' was in the national lingo as recently as 4 years ago, before March 2016, Villanova basketball was most known for capitulating when it matters most, in the postseason. Yet, out of nowhere, the Wildcats have (at least in the last 3 years) usurped many of the blue bloods-- Duke, Kansas, Kentucky -- as the premier college basketball program, much as the Tigers have done to Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc. in football.

For both teams, shaking off the moniker, and to be fair, the reality, of faltering under the brightest lights started with the development of a core group of players. For Clemson, it was of course two-time Heisman runner-up Deshaun Watson, but it was also Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman, Shaq Lawson and Dexter Lawrence that have been the key players in helping Clemson to 2 national title appearances, a title, and a 40-4 record in the last 3 seasons.

In Villanova's case, two years ago, their blitz to their first championship in 30 years featured Senior stars Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono, but the biggest impact in the Championship game came courtesy of Freshmen Phil Booth, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges. Two years later, Brunson, Bridges, and Booth helped spark one of the most dominant postseason runs we've seen in a decade.

Yet, as the 2017 football season showed, and as the key cogs of the 2018 March Madness displayed, these programs aren't done. Clemson rolled to a 12-1 season, another ACC title without any of the aforementioned offensive studs in their arsenal. Villanova had significant contributions from freshmen, and of course, from a 6th man named Donte DiVicenzo, none of whom are extremely likely to split for the NBA Draft next year. And oh by the way, Clemson's recruiting isn't too shabby, either. Neither is Villanova's.

Of course, both programs' reign atop their respective sports will end, and it may not even be that long from now. Indeed, with as much turnover (in players and coaches both) as there is in college athletics, within 5 years both may be relegated to their 'constant verge of glory' status. But nothing, nobody can take away from the feat that these schools, particularly new (and old) national champions Villanova, have achieved by asserting their place not just as a one-hit wonder, but as a benchmark for most other college programs to strive for.