Players were treated like rock stars as they made their way into the ancient Jake Nevin Field House for a celebration.
"What's better than this?" coach Jay Wright said as the crowd roared.
Behind Donte DiVincenzo's career-high 31 points off the bench, Villanova routed Michigan 79-62 on Monday in San Antonio to win the school's third national title.
Junior forward Eric Paschall held the championship trophy and the bleary-eyed players wore hats lodged with strands of the nets they cut down a night earlier. Jalen Brunson, the national Player of the Year, led the fans in a chant of "Di-vin-cenzo" before he was introduced last among the players.
"The chances of a red-headed Italian with Rollie Massimino 'RVM' on his chest, coming off the bench to score 31 points in the national championship game," Wright said before the crowd drowned him out, referring to the late Wildcats coach who led the school to the 1985 title.
The top-seeded Wildcats (36-4) won all six of their NCAA Tournament games by double digits, bucking the trend of upsets thanks to depth, buzzing offense and improved defense.
Go Cats!" junior guard Phil Booth yelled.
Rain forced the celebration to be moved inside from the football stadium, but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm at the Catholic school of about 6,500 undergraduates in suburban Philadelphia.
The tributes began immediately as the Wildcats landed, when the Philadelphia fire department delivered a water cannon salute as their plane taxied.
On their Main Line campus, fans, many of whom had a blue "V'' painted on their cheeks Robert Griffin III Jersey , stood in the rain in a line that snaked around the corner waiting for the doors to open.
Included in the crowd was Ron DiPietro, class of 1972, who said he turns 68 Wednesday. DiPietro clutched a gray 1985 Villanova national title T-shirt on a coat hanger.
"Too much firepower, well-disciplined, wonderful team," DiPietro said. "They blew everybody out, let's face it."
The pep band and cheerleaders entertained the crowd before the team arrived. The balcony seats in the 1,500-seat arena were nearly full, with hundreds more on the floor crammed near a barrier to the stage. A banner hung that read "Congratulations 2018 men's basketball national champions."
Fans yelled "One more year!" to both Brunson and Mikal Bridges as they were introduced by Wright. Neither player wanted to comment on their futures, but Wright indicated returning to school was wishful thinking.
"We're going to talk about it this week with those guys," Wright said. "But both of them are going to graduate and both of them have a chance to become first-round picks."
Next up, a parade Thursday in Philadelphia that will end with a rally outside City Hall as the region basks in its recent sporting success. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl two months ago.
"I'm proud of the Eagles and I'm proud we're even part of it with them," said Wright, an Eagles season-ticket holder. "I'm really happy for the city of Philadelphia."
ST. JOSEPH Matt Bosher Jersey , Mo. (AP) Three years ago, a little-known and undersized running back out of Abilene Christian led the Kansas City Chiefs in rushing, filling in admirably for an injured Jamaal Charles.
These days, Charcandrick West finds himself fighting for a job.
That alone is a sign of just how much deeper and more talented the Chiefs’ stable of running backs is this season. Kareem Hunt led the league in rushing as a rookie, but there is a crush of ability and experience nipping at his heels.
”There’s a good number of backs here that we have,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said, ”and we’re very, very blessed and fortunate. We just want to watch these guys compete.”
These guys: West, who managed just 72 yards on 18 carries last season; Spencer Ware, who led the Chiefs in rushing two years ago before sustaining a season-ending injury in preseason; Kerwynn Williams, who started six games last season for Arizona; Damien Williams, who appeared in 58 games over the past four seasons in Miami; and Darrel Williams, perhaps the biggest dark horse of the bunch.
Williams backed up Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice the past few years at LSU, a big reason why he went undrafted this past April. But many scouts believe he has the talent to succeed Kevin Faulk Jersey , noting he averaged 5.7 yards a carry last season – better than Guice, a second-round pick.
”I probably say this every year, but the talent pool has gotten deeper,” Bieniemy said. ”I look forward to it. Why? Because it brings out the best in each and every one of them.”
There are a multitude of reasons why the Chiefs have invested so heavily in the position.
For one thing, the value of running backs has swung back to the positive after many had written them off in the era of the pass-happy NFL. Offensive coordinators have started to utilize them in creative ways, employing them as pass-catchers and blockers along with running.
No wonder three running backs were selected in the first round of the draft, and four more in the second round, headlined by Saquon Barkley going to the Giants at No. 2 overall.
Then there’s the misfortune that has befallen Kansas City at the position.
Twice the franchise lost Charles to season-ending injuries in his prime, the first time resulting in Jackie Battle leading the team in rushing. Then, after Ware’s transition from fullback to running back led to a breakout season, he tore up his knee in last year’s preseason game against Seattle.
The Chiefs were fortunate that Hunt emerged as a bona fide star, but they nonetheless headed into the season with a relatively shallow backfield. West handled some spot duty, and Akeem Hunt and an aged C.J. Spiller saw action, but it was quarterback Alex Smith that was second on the team in rushing.
General manager Brett Veach hardly wants new quarterback Patrick Mahomes II to do likewise
”In my mind and obviously in Brett’s mind – because he’s the one who did this – you can’t have enough of those guys Star Lotulelei Jersey ,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ”We figured, listen, if we have a chance to get good players lets go ahead and better ourselves, let the competition be there and see what happens. I’m expecting Spencer to be back, but you never know, and you’ve got kids that can play.”
The depth has already paid off the first week of camp, giving Hunt a chance to rest a stiff hamstring Friday and Ware an opportunity to slowly get back into game shape.
”I’ve never shied away from competition,” Ware said. ”My ultimate goal is to make my team better and to get better as a player – to make myself more valuable for my team and let them be able to use me in any way they can.”
NOTES: Rookie FS Armani Watts was back on the field Saturday after tweaking his ankle. ”He needs reps now,” Reid said. ”If you’re going to make this team you have to show it.” … West took a shot to the head during the team’s first padded practice and was being evaluated by team doctors.
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