Once Villanova’s band stopped playing its fight song, Jay Wright took over as pep rally conductor.
“Just for the hell of it, let’s do it,” he exhorted to nearly 2,000 fans.
“When I say, Nova, you say, ‘Nation!”
“Nova!”
“Nation!” they screamed back at the head coach.
The Wildcats gave their fans plenty of reason to go wild through March Madness — and more fun is ahead.
The national champions were welcomed back Tuesday at the airport with a police escort that swept rush hour cars off the interstate and dispatched them to Villanova’s football stadium for a rally.
enkins’ winner came on a play Villanova works on every day in practice: Jenkins inbounds to Arcidiacono, who works the ball up court. Ochefu sets a pick near halfcourt to clutter things up. Then Arcidiacono creates.
This time, the senior point guard made an underhanded flip to Jenkins, who spotted up a pace or two behind the arc and swished it with Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks running at him. Or, as Jenkins put it: “One, two step, shoot ’em up, sleep in the streets.”
That was all it took.
Students rushed Monday night from Villanova’s arena, The Pavilion, onto a nearby commercial strip where pubs and restaurants festooned with balloons and banners were packed with revelers, ready to step things up.
