Villanova coach Jay Wright bounced around some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby before Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener:
Q: What is your team’s mindset now after losing in the first round of the Big East Tournament?
A: We’re definitely a hungrier team. I was disappointed that we weren’t hungry going into the Big East Tournament — I thought we were, until we played the game. You got to give Seton Hall credit. I think they came out and they threw the first punch and we kind of laid back. … We played a great second half, we took the lead, but it was too late. We didn’t start the game aggressively and hungry. I can see they got it back. That game definitely let them know they can lose to anybody, and that they got to approach every game with a sense of reality.
Q: Wichita State is 34-0; can that be a burden?
A: Every team has a unique personality. There were no signs before that Seton Hall game, not in their practices, not in their demeanor, not in their preparation. … There were no signs that we were going to come out flat. We almost overcame that, you know? I would rather be in the position that Wichita State’s in, than I would be the one we’re in. Sometimes you’re going to come out flat, but you got to be able to overcome it too. I just think what we learned from this is I don’t think we’ll come out flat again.
Q: By the same token, Wichita State’s going to be The Hunted. They’re going to have a bull’s-eye on them, right?
A: Definitely. The good thing is once you get into the NCAA Tournament, its different than your conference tournament. Because when you’re hunted in your conference tournament, you’ve already beaten those teams. But once you get to the NCAA Tournament, it’s different because it’s a new seed and you haven’t seen these teams. I can feel like everything’s in the past now, and everything’s new. We’re excited again like it’s a brand new season. And I think that’s going to be to Wichita State’s advantage. I think the conference tournaments are more dangerous than the
NCAA Tournament that way.
Q: Is it something you see in your players’ eyes now, or is it strictly what you see on the practice court?
A: I think it’s from talking to them, I think they’ve got a healthy fear of losing now. We won too many games that I didn’t think they feared losing. I don’t think they felt they could lose — not in a cocky way, just a little confident way. … It’s almost we needed a sense of urgency. I’ve heard Wichita State talk about playing angry. That’s a good mantra, especially when you’re winning a lot. You got to find ways to create some urgency.
Q: So what ways are you going to find to get them to play angry?’
A: Well I don’t have to now because we got beat by Seton Hall.
Q: What do you like best about your team?
A: I like our depth and our balance. We can score inside, we can score outside. We get to the foul line, we shoot 3s. We have guys that can defend multiple positions, and we play nine guys. We don’t have that one superstar, but we’ve got a lot of really good players.
Q: Providence?
A: I think they’ve really found a rhythm. They’ve really found a great balance… they got Carolina, right? They can win that game, they’re playing great basketball right now.
Q: Who does Bryce Cotton remind you of?
A: The sad thing is he reminds me of the point guard [Jordan Aaron] we’re playing against from Milwaukee. That’s a scary thing. I can’t believe it.
Q: As far as what?
A: He’s super quick, he’s got incredible range, he gets to the rim and finishes, it’s hard to get the ball out of his hand. That’s what Cotton does. At the end of the shot clock, he can get them a good shot anytime.
Q: Creighton?
A: They blew us out twice. They played as well as anybody that’s played against us all year. They’re intelligent defensively, they’re incredibly explosive offensively. What was amazing against Providence, they had a lot of open shots they just didn’t make. But they are as explosive an offense team in this country. All five of those guys can score. [Ethan] Wragge could be the best three-point shooter in the country, [Doug] McDermott’s the best player in the country. I think they’re a really dangerous team.
Q: Who does McDermott remind you of?
A: I say Larry Bird. He’s a little bit smaller than Larry Bird, a little bit, not much… he’s a lot more mobile. That’s who I see, because he can pass it, he shoots it, he drives it, he uses screens… that’s who I see, like a little bit smaller Larry Bird.
Q: You think he’ll have a good pro career?
A: I think he’ll have a GREAT pro career. He’s not your Kevin Durant, your LeBron James, your Kobe Bryant, he’s not that guy. But he’s your [Russell] Westbrook, Dwyane Wade — that second guy that can win championships for you, I really believe he is. I think he’s that good.
Q: Any sleepers in the tournament?
A: I don’t know if you can count Virginia as a sleeper, but in tournament play, their style is very, very effective. The other team that I think is playing really, really well right now is UCLA.
Q: Manhattan is playing Louisville — when you were at Hofstra, what did you tell your kids before your game against Oklahoma State that night?
A: You had to tell them that we were going to go out more aggressive, we were going to be hungrier, and just go out and play to win. There’s no fear of failure here. We belong here, we earned this chance, now let’s just go play. And we wanted to just play with great confidence, and a free mind.
Q: Louisville?
A: They’re playing their best basketball right now. Their big guy, [Montrezl] Harrell, it’s taken him this long to develop into a dominant player. He wasn’t a big part of last year’s team. … He was a role player. But by the end of the season, he’d become a dominant player. He’s a pro prospect, he’s a first-round draft choice. Now, by the end of the year, they’re as good as anybody in the country.
Q: What makes Rick Pitino such a tremendous tournament coach?
A: I think he does a great job in season of pacing his team. I think early in the year, he’ll take a loss to teach them a point. He doesn’t care what they are early, and he doesn’t care if they lose some games. He doesn’t panic, he knows it’s best to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year. He’s won enough, that he’s got enough wisdom, and he’s got enough patience to not worry about mid-season losses, early-season losses, it’s all about how his team plays in the tournament.
Q: Russ Smith?
A: He’s one of the most dynamic guards in the country, and he’s a nightmare matchup. Guys like him that you know will take some crazy shots, but they can make some crazy shots. Now, they’ll miss some, but the guys that put fear in you, are the guys that will take them, and are allowed to take them, because you know they can make some of them. And when guys are making crazy shots, and tough shots, there’s really nothing you can do. There’s only a few guys that are good at that. A lot of guys would take them, not a lot of guys would make them (chuckle).
Q: Cleanthony Early?
A: He’s a great example of just developing into a great college basketball player. Every year he’s gotten better, and he’s skilled, too. He’s not just a big guy that’s athletic. He handles the ball, he makes good decisions, great touch around the basket. He’s become a complete player. I don’t know what position they call him, but he’s a forward. He can do everything, [and] he can defend like a center.
Q: Are there any other players around the country that might captivate people?
A: The kid at Ohio State, the point guard at Ohio State, if you watch him play, Aaron Craft, you just fall in love with the kid. And Jabari Parker. Jabari Parker is good enough to carry that [Duke] team. And the kid at N.C. State, [T.J.] Warren? He’s a scoring machine.
Q: How driven are you to win a national tournament?
A: We look at it every year as a chance to win a tournament, when we get in it, we want to win. It wasn’t just losing the first game [in the Big East Tournament], it was losing the first game and not winning the championship. And then, when we get into the NCAA Tournament, same thing. We want to win a championship. And the way you do it is you got to take it one game at a time. This year we won the Battle for Atlantis in the Bahamas, we want to win tournaments. And that’s what this is, it’s a six-game tournament, and we are really driven to run this.
Q: For you, I mean, legacies are made…
A: Honestly, I really don’t care about that (laugh). The legacy part I don’t care about, and I honestly don’t. I love the essence of now, of playing this tournament right now, and this experience, that’s what I love. If we won it, I would wish we could just win it, enjoy it with the team winning it, and then, everybody forget about it after that.
Q: When was the last time you showed your team clips of the ’85 championship game [Villanova over Georgetown]?
A: You know what? It runs all the time in our practice facility. Everytime you walk into our practice facility, there’s a button to hit, and it runs the highlights of that game (laugh). I haven’t shown it to them maybe in 10 years. I know they see it every day in the lobby of our practice facility.
Q: Dare I say that if you make it to the championship game you might trot it out?
A: You got it. Even the Final Four, you got it.
Q: Your single favorite March Madness moment?
A: Mine always was Villanova’s national championship game, that’s what it always was. Until ’09, when Scottie Reynolds hit the shot at the buzzer in Boston for us to beat Pitt and go to the Final Four. Even in my mind, I still envision him going the length of the court and scoring at the buzzer to send us to the Final Four,
Q: Most bitter March Madness defeat?
A: It was in the Sweet 16 in ’05, when we lost to Carolina by one in the Carrier Dome, and they went on to win the championship. We made a shot to tie the game, and they nullified the shot and called traveling.
Q: Tough question, got to ask it: Fans are faced with many choices, especially when it comes to picking which team will go all the way, so is Dove Men+Care is making one decision easy for fans?
A: I’m proud to be a part of the staff of decision-makers they put together for March Madness. All I have to do is make one easy decision — get Dove Men+Care. And I use it.
Q: How would you describe the Villanova Way?
A: Play hard, play together, play smart and play with pride in Villanova.
Q: What is the on-court personality of your team?
A: We want to be killers on the court, and we want to be gentlemen off the court.