April 1, 1985 – No Joke, Villanova Beats Georgetown, Wins NCAA Title
If you’re too young to remember this game, that’s a shame. Then again, there’s a big silver lining for those who are not old enough to recall one of the greatest sporting events in Philadelphia history (for reference think Philly Special). You get to live longer than the rest of us. Still, there’s no denying that what you missed was pretty special.
This is one game for which no photo, video, audio or written commentary can replicate the wow-factor that comes from looking at just a single number in the box score.
Villanova shot 78.6% from the field. And not only that, this game features an even more improbable statistic, one that doesn’t even make it into the box score. In the second half, the Wildcats only took 10 shots from the field – and made nine of them.
Teams don’t shoot that nearly well in pre-game warmups, much less when they’re trying to score against a top-seeded, defending NCAA Champion, Patrick Ewing-led defense – which until this game had held opposing offenses to 39% shooting.
That’s my two cents on this. Here’s what others had to say about it.
After converting 13 of 18 shots and 3 of 4 free throws in the first half to build a 29-28 lead, Villanova put on a display of offensive execution, defensive perserverance and mental fortitude in the second half that will be long remembered and cherished. The Wildcats made good on 9 of 10 shots from the floor
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man in the moon.
Just as that troubadour lifted his song from a treasury of nursery rhymes, so did Villanova steal this NCAA title from a Georgetown team that was about to step into another book: a history book.
The human element of loving Cinderella stories comes from the relatability. There’s nothing relatable about a demigod, and in 1985, Patrick Ewing was about as close to one as there was in college basketball.
I think with the USA upset of Russia in hockey, that was the biggest upset of our era. And it really was because of how good Georgetown was. In watching that game, it struck me how talented, how many pros Georgetown had, how well-coached they were, how disciplined they were, how amazing Patrick Ewing was – and for Villanova to find a way to win that was incredible.
Remember it very well owned a Bar on the mainline Friendly saloon what a couple of weeks that was