Villanova shows it's ready for an NCAA title defense with near-perfect performance

NEW YORK – Even if he tried, Jay Wright could not have predicted what Villanova would do to open the Big East tournament.

The Wildcats’ 108-67 thrashing of St. John’s on Thursday afternoon was an example of how No. 2 Villanova can operate at its peak – as an extension of its head coach, with the players acting as a hive mind of sorts – and put together as perfect a game as Wright – or anyone for that matter – has ever seen.

“Really proud of our performance, obviously,” Wright said. “I think we played like a mature team today.”

Kris Jenkins, the hero from Villanova’s national championship 11 months ago, picked up right where he left off last April, scoring the Wildcats’ first nine points and setting the tone for the Wildcats in a record-setting game in which they would never trail.

In a stunning display of discipline, accuracy and poise, the regular season Big East champions committed zero fouls and shot 51.5 percent from the field against St. John’s in the first twenty minutes.

“It’s experience,” Wright said. “I think our guys had a great grasp of the scouting report and I think they played very intelligently the first half.”

And as if going into the locker room with a massive lead wasn’t enough, Villanova called a time out with 3.3 seconds to play in the first half, allowing Wright to draw up a play that every college basketball fan would immediately recognize.

“We take advantage of all of those opportunities,” Wright said. “There’s no better practice than the game. You have to run that against another team and get that experience.”

With Josh Hart inbounding the ball, Jenkins took the pass and drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer, recreating the moment that made him a household name, but with one small difference: It came from the opposite side of the court than his legendary shot that downed North Carolina.

“I don’t care if anybody knows about [the inbound play],” Wright said. “There’s a lot of good coaches out there – I’m more concerned that our players can execute.”

Execute – even the alternate meaning of what Wright was alluding to during the post-game press conference – would been downplaying what the Wildcats did.

“I felt good all year,” Wright said. “Kris as good a shooter as he is, could be our best post-up player. Josh [Hart] is good in the post. [Jalen] Brunson is good in the post. I feel good about our balance.”

While Villanova advanced to the Big East semifinals thanks to the win, the Wildcats’ performance served to put the rest of the nation on notice. They’re ready for another deep March run and may be even better than they were last year.

In the victory, Villanova set Big East tournament records for margin of victory (41 points), points scored (108), and set a school record by shooting better than 63 percent from the field.

It was as complete a performance as the Wildcats have had all year and it’s coming at the perfect time. Villanova is healthy, sporting an eight-man rotation that includes Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall and Dylan Painter – a trio that combined for 52 bench points.

“If they weren’t playing at the level they are, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” Wright said. “It really does give us the ability to stay fresh in tournaments.”

When Villanova was asked what it planned for an encore, Jenkins served as a reminder of what the Wildcats are here for – no questions, only answers.

“Next game. Next game.”