Has Villanova ever won March Madness?
No. 2 seed Villanova is about to battle No.1 seed Kansas in the Final Four of this year’s March Madness. Have the Wildcats ever won the NCAA championship?
The semifinal showdown of March Madness is drawing near, with second-seeded Villanova going up against top seed Kansas in the first match of the evening. Here’s a look at the Wildcats’ record of success in the tournament.
Villanova’s varsity basketball program is more than a hundred years old, but their success in the NCAA competition is relatively recent. They do have a history of winning and have now become one of the country’s top teams, so they are expected to make this weekend’s showdown with Kansas an exciting one.
This will be the fourth time Kansas and Villanova will meet in the tournament since 2008. The winner of the previous three contests (Nova twice and KU once) has gone on to win the national championship
— trey wingo (@wingoz) March 30, 2022
The Wildcats first won the championship in 1985. They got the better of Georgetown as the eighth seed, and to this day this stands as the record for the lowest seed to ever win March Madness.
Perfect game, perfect ending
The memorable match was dubbed “The Perfect Game”, as Villanova set a record for highest shooting percentage at an astounding 78.6%.
Villanova is one of the last four teams standing in the NCAA tournament because of an aspect of their game that’s as critical as it is underappreciated: their free-throw shooting https://t.co/67bpyPVzfh
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 30, 2022
The team had to wait three decades until they became champions again, prevailing over North Carolina in 2016. This time, the game was referred to as “The Perfect Ending”, because they beat the Tar Heels in a buzzer-beating finale.
It was the only other time in the history of the men’s championship that a game was decided as the clock ticked its last.
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Third time's a charm
The Wildcats didn’t have to wait long to clinch their next trophy. Two years later, in 2018, they defeated Michigan 79-62.
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They are tied with Kansas at seventh place for the most number of NCAA titles at three each, and are looking to up their total to four this weekend.
The Villanova Wildcats will challenge the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, April 2 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Tip-off is at 6:09 p.m. ET / 3:09 PT.