Villanova leaving adversity behind

VILLANOVA, Pa. – After Villanova knocked off No. 1 Connecticut, Randy Foye’s cell phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Congratulatory messages kept flashing on his computer.

Suddenly, it hit the 6-foot-4 guard. If this was the response after a victory over the top-ranked team, how would people react if the Wildcats ascended to No. 1? And wouldn’t that ranking give only further motivation to opponents?

“It’s just a bigger target now on our chest if it happens that we come out No. 1,” Foye said.

No worries for now. Even with wins over the Huskies and then-No. 17 Georgetown, the Big East-leading Wildcats (21-2, 11-1) moved up to No. 2 Monday in the Associated Press’ college basketball poll.

Never mind how the Wildcats might handle No. 1. The bigger question might be, what took so long to return to national prominence?

“Given the circumstances, I understand why it took longer,” fifth-year coach Jay Wright said.

From injuries to scandal to disputed calls, Villanova’s return to the elite was more rocky road than rapid rise. Now, with two 10-game winning streaks in the same season for the first time in school history, the Wildcats are one victory from matching the best start in school history set in 1937-38.

“Now that we’ve got a good thing going here, I’m happier that it worked out that way,” Wright said. “Everyone feels they earned it. You kind of know who your friends are. There was plenty of time for people to show whether they were loyal to the program or not.”

When Wright returned to the program where he served as an assistant under Rollie Massimino, the expectation was for NCAA Tournaments to again become the norm. Instead, the Wildcats played in the NIT his first three seasons, had a losing record in 2002-03 and the program was stung by an NCAA investigation that ultimately led to probation.

Three years ago, Villanova was hit by a phone-card scandal that turned a 15-10 start into a 15-16 finish when several players were ruled ineligible. That forced the Wildcats to play with a seven-man roster and the staggered suspensions lingered into the next season, when nearly two dozen games were missed by five suspended players.

“It was real hard, but it was a great learning experience,” Allan Ray said. “It taught us how to deal with adversity.”

For a while, it seemed as if affliction after another derailed every bit of momentum. Consider 6-foot-9 senior center Jason Fraser, a prized high-school recruit who now serves as a role player. Seven – seven! – operations forced him out of nearly two-dozen career games.

Fraser originally was projected to start in the frontcourt with Curtis Sumpter, perhaps the Wildcats’ most versatile player. Instead, Sumpter was knocked out of last season’s NCAA Tournament after he tore a ligament in his left knee, and was likely lost for this season when he tore the same ligament again on a routine layup in a preseason drill.

“Most teams would go, ‘Oh, man!’ and have their heads down,” Ray said. “We just looked at it like it’s just another obstacle we have to overcome.”

Of course, Ray already knew something about handling adversity.

In the 20th anniversary season of its lone national championship, Villanova returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. The Wildcats beat New Mexico and Florida before losing to North Carolina, without Sumpter, on a disputed call.

Ray was whistled for traveling in the final seconds, wiping out a would-be basket and sending eventual national champion North Carolina to a 67-66 win. Ray hasn’t been able to stomach watching the replay again since catching it later that night at the hotel.

“We knew we never should have been in that position last year anyway for the game to be decided on that call,” Ray said.

Wright said the postseason taught the Wildcats how tricky it is to win the national championship because they played three great games and were still four wins away from the title.

“I think they know how hard it’s going to be to get any further than that,” Wright said.

Led by their novel four-guard lineup, born once Sumpter went down, the Wildcats are playing as if they’re capable of getting to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Still, Wright is trying to stress the importance of the next game. With three of its final four on the road, including a rematch at No. 3 Connecticut on Sunday, Villanova wants to avoid any lapses entering March.