Are The Villanova Wildcats Failures This Season?
On Saturday the number one seed Villanova Wildcats were upset by number eight seed Wisconsin, ending their attempt to become the first Men's College Basketball team to repeat as NCAA Tournament Champions since the University of Florida accomplished that feat ten years ago. Despite winning the National Championship last year, there are still many who consider this season a disappointment despite a 32-4 record and claiming another Big East title. This was the third time in the last four years that Villanova has lost in NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Mike Kern of the Philadelphia Daily News joined The Sports Bash on Monday to discuss the big picture of Villanova's loss in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament:
"We've always had this discussion in Philadelphia: would you take a title for five or ten years of mediocrity after that? That's always the thing, cause the Eagles haven't won since 1960, the Sixers since 1983, etc. and you get varying opinions. Me, I think I'd take the title over like six or seven years of being good and not winning it. Think about what you would have remembered about the Phillies of the late 70's and early 80's if they had not won it in 1980, you would've thought they were failures. If the Phillies had not won in 2008, even though they had a great five year run, you would've thought they were failures...While Villanova failed on Saturday and two years came up short...yes but they won the flippin' National Title last year. And that doesn't last forever, (there's a) statutes of limitations, doesn't mean that they can continue to losing in the second round forever. But it wasn't like the other three years were bad, the NCAA Tournament was bad which is what people judge them on....They don't judge themselves like that."
Checkout what Kern had to say about the Villanova loss, the state of Philadelphia Big Five Schools, and analysis of the first weekend of March Madness