Villanova 63, Kansas 59: Arcidiacono sinks Wiggins, No. 2 Kansas

By MIKE ANGELINA

Philahoops Staff

@MikeAngelina

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Jay Wright has himself one heck of a squad on the Main Line this season—one better off than the No. 2 team in the nation. On Friday night Villanova defeated the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 63-59 in the semifinals round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

Ryan Arcidiancono nailed arguably the greatest field goal by a Wildcat since Scottie Reynolds put Villanova in the Final Four in 2009. Trailing by one, the sophomore drained a 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds remaining to lift Villanova to victory.

“He’s done that his whole career. The kid’s incredible. He has big-time heart. That’s not the first time he did that,” coach Jay Wright told NBC Sports Network after the game.

The play took place after Wright called timeout to draw up a play, trailing by one with less than 35 seconds reaming. Incredibly, Wright had the confidence to go to his struggling point guard, suffering through a lackluster start.

Arcidiacono had not made a single shot all game, yet he was the man the play was drawn up to get the ball in his hands. After they secured a jump ball, Darrun Hilliard found Arcidiacono, he drained the shot, and Villanova took a two-point lead.

“As soon as it left my hand, I thought it was good,” Arcidiacono said.

James Bell made a pair of free throws with three seconds left, and for the second time in about eight years, Villanova defeated the No. 2 Jayhawks. The win moved the ‘Cats to a perfect 6-0 on the season, as they await No. 23 Iowa in the championship game at 9:30 Saturday night (NBCSN).

The shot and the victory prevent Villanova from surrendering a nine-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining. Arcidiacono’s made shot was actually the only field goal the Wildcats made in the final seven minutes.

Despite the struggles, the lost lead and the scoring slump, Wright’s squad persevered. But for him, it was nothing new.

“We have tough kids,” Wright explained. “We have good players that play well together. And they get up for big games.”

Bell, who shared the ice in Arcidiacono’s veins in his final free throws, knew that if they stood to their ground, they would come on top.

“We all felt if we stayed true to what we do, Villanova basketball, that’ll be good enough for us,” he said.

Off to a perfect start to the season, it is hard to imagine it not being “good enough.” With the victory, Villanova put themselves in the national spotlight for beating not just Bill Self’s top-two team, but beating Andrew Wiggins, the player many have forecasted to be the top pick in the NBA draft this spring. But not only did they just defeat Wiggins, they limited him like no other team has thus far this season. The freshman sensation was held to just 10 points in 30 minutes—his worst game at the collegiate level.

For the Wildcats, this was just another win. It was just another step in a bigger stage, as certainly they will need to win plenty more than just one ranked team to get where they desire to be.

“It’s just another game,” Arcidiacono said. “We’ve got another one tomorrow”.

Box Score

–Mike Angelina covers Villanova for Philahoops. Share your thoughts with Mike at [email protected], @MikeAngelina on Twitter and/or in the comments section below.