By John Knebels
UNCASVILLE, CT – Selection Sunday for women basketball’s March Madness beckons. If the NCAA possesses any common sense, Villanova University’s women will be placed somewhere among the top 64.
Though the two-seed Wildcats were overwhelmed by top-seed Connecticut, 70-40, in the Big East championship in front of a packed house at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 7, less than a half hour away from where the Huskies play their home games, they still impressed legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma.
A local product who grew up in Norristown and attended since-closed Bishop Kenrick High School before winning a record 11 NCAA championships and amassing a surreal .885 winning percentage during a masterful 37-year career, Auriemma specifically praised Villanova second-year coach Denise Dillon and junior Maddy Siegrist, this season’s Big East Player of the Year and a member of the 2021-22 all-tournament team.
“We beat a team that is really, really hard to play against,” said Auriemma, who had just celebrated his 27th tournament title. “People don't realize how hard it is to play against Villanova.
“Denise, she's got these guys playing – and Maddy Siegrist, I think, is probably one of the top 10 players in the country. We haven't played against 10 players better than her. And I don't think we've played against 10, 15 teams max, better than Villanova. Whoever said they're one of the first four out, I'd like to see some team that finishes seventh in a Power Five conference play them in the first round. I would pay to see that.”
UConn. Head Coach Geno Auriemma praises Villanova and Coach Denise Dillon. Video/John Knebels
Auriemma wouldn’t receive any kind of an argument from Dillon, this year’s Big East Coach of the Year.
Since beginning the season 3-5 and missing Siegrist for a six-game stretch, the Wildcats (23-8 overall) blitzed through the regular season by winning 18 of 20, including a 72-69 stunner at UConn on Feb. 9. In the Big East tournament, the Wildcats defeated St. John’s, 76-52, in the quarterfinals behind Siegrist (24 points) and senior Brianna Herlihy (16 points, 17 rebounds), and then Seton Hall in the semifinals as the Cats placed four players in double digits - Siegrist (24 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, two blocks); Herlihy (17 points, eight rebounds); sophomore Lior Garzon (13 points); and freshman Lucy Olsen (10 points, four assists).
After defeating Seton Hall in the semifinals, Villanova head coach Denise Dillon reflects on her team's winning attitude. (video/John Knebels)
Villanova senior Brianna Herlihy and junior Maddy Siegrist talk about the environment at UConn. (Video/John Knebels)
Despite shooting a dismal 32 percent from the floor and getting out-rebounded by 39-17 in the final, Villanova proved itself as the second-best team in one of the country’s most respected conferences.
“I think just looking at our resumé,” said Dillon, a graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High School. “We played six games without the Player of the Year (Siegrist), and we go (20-3 after she returned).
“So just really proud of the effort put forth. I think we did exactly what we needed to from that point on when we got her back and put us in the championship game with the Player of the Year in the Big East and one of the best in the nation.”
Wherever the Cats end up, the basketball program might want to have a heart-to-heart with the Villanova school band.
Villanova vs. UConn in Big East Championship. (video/John Knebels)
After stopping Seton Hall in the semis, the band got a bit ahead of itself as they chanted in unison, “We want UConn.”
Unfortunately for Villanova, UConn heard their plea. Not only did the Huskies seek revenge for their earlier loss that was softened a bit by missing three players at the time, they felt disrespected by the band’s over-exuberant choice of requests.
“I think all of us knew, in the locker room, before the game, that it was going to be a totally different game than it was the first time,” said UConn senior Evina Westbrook, who amassed a team-high 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. “Like we all knew, it didn't really need to be said. I think it was a matter of us coming out there and putting it together.
“And I think what else drove us, when the band . . . their band yesterday was saying they want UConn, so we was, like, ‘You're all going to get UConn.’”
On Sunday, some team somewhere had better be “getting Nova” in the Big Dance.
The Wildcats have earned it.
(Contact John Knebels at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)