1985 NCAA Tournament ChampionsIt was April 1, 1985 when David met and beat Goliath. It was a game remembered by many as one of the most perfectly-played NCAA championship games ever. It was a game few felt the undermanned Villanova Wildcats had much of a chance winning. What the capacity crowd in Rupp Arena, and one of the largest national television audiences ever witnessed on April 1, 1985 was as stunning of an upset as there has ever been in an NCAA championship game. Head coach Rollie Massimino's Wildcats claimed Villanova's first National Basketball title by shocking one of college basketball greatest teams ever, Georgetown, 66-64. It was a trio that coined themselves "The Expansion Crew," Ed Pinckney, Dwayne McClain and Gary McLain. And of course it was a typical Villanova team effort with Harold Pressley, Harold Jensen and Dwight Wilbur being most noticeable. "Everyone wrote us off, didn't think we had a chance to win," stated an emotional Massimino in a press conference following his squad's dramatic win. "Every one of you (media) people said we had no shot, shouldn't even play the game. No one thought we could do it, but I did and so did they." And Villanova's victory was no fluke. On April 1, 1985, Villanova was simply the best team. The Wildcats, as expected, played stellar defense and controlled the tempo just as many thought they would have to in order to keep it a game. Massimino, in a press conference the day before the championship clash, stated that he believed in order for his Wildcats to upend the Georgetown Hoyas it would probably take a perfect game. His Wildcats weren't perfect, but they were close. The 'Cats sank an amazing 22 of 28 field goal tries for a sizzling and unheard of 78.6 percent field goal percentage. Even more startling, the 'Cats in the second half, when things really began cooking, connected on nine of 10 field goals. 90 percent field goal shooting! From the foul line the 'Cats went 22 of 27, including 11 of 14 pressure packed ones in the last two minutes. What made Villanova's shooting performance even more startling was who it was accomplished against. Pat Ewing and company were the number one defense in the country and had limited opponents to just 39 percent shooting from the field for the entire season. Having lost twice to Georgetown in the regular season, the two squads were familiar foes. Georgetown jumped on the 'Cats quickly and enjoyed 10-6, 18-12 and 20-14 leads in the game's early going. But for every Georgetown offensive, Villanova regrouped and rallied and when Harold Pressley followed up his own missed shot with just four seconds left before half, Villanova went to the locker room leading 29-28 while a nation- wide audience stared in disbelief. Villanova's halftime lead lasted until 10:41 was left when the Hoyas moved into the lead 42-41. The lead would exchange hands five times until Villanova had silently slipped out to a 53-48 advantage. But Georgetown roared back and with 4:50 to go had a 54-53 lead. In possession of a one-point lead and the ball, Georgetown tried to spread the floor and run the clock. However, the 'Cats Dwayne McClain, a player remembered for his many made big shots in his career, came up with a crucial steal and as Villanova patiently worked for a good shot, freshman Harold Jensen nailed a 16 footer to push Villanova to a 55-54 lead with 2:36 to go. "I was totally open and I just shot in rhythm," Jensen would later explain. "They were so conscious of protecting against Ed inside that I had the shot." Pinckney at the other end blocked David Wingate's driving baseline layup and was fouled retrieving the ball, and after making both free throws, the Wildcats had a 57-54 lead. Villanova's ability to sink free throws was crucial in the closing minutes and with 18 seconds left Villanova led 65-60. A Villanova free throw and two Georgetown layups made it 66-64 with two seconds left. Dwayne McClain, who had tripped and fallen to the floor, caught the inbound pass on the floor and when the final two seconds ticked off the clock, the victory was Villanova's. "Needless to say, this is probably the greatest moment in Villanova basketball history. I am extremely elated, proud and grateful for everything that happened this year. These kids were just great...I think we beat one of the greatest teams in history. Georgetown played extremely well and we played great." For the Villanova Wildcats, it was a fairy tale finish. On March 27, 1971, Villanova made its first appearance ever in a NCAA basketball tournament championship game. The unheralded Wildcats had the unenviable job of taking on none other then the Wizard of Westwood, legendary John Wooden and his mighty UCLA Bruins. It was a 28-1 UCLA squad that was paced by Sydney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Henry Bibby and Steve Patterson. "Gimme Five" boldly exclaimed buttons worn by UCLA fans in the Houston Astrodome for the championship game. UCLA, heading into the 1971 championship game, had won an incredible four straight NCAA championships and had won six of the previous seven NCAA titles. Equally impressive, UCLA had run up an amazing 144-5 record dating back five seasons, and the Bruins had won 27 straight NCAA Tournament games. Jack Kraft's Villanova Wildcats might have been small in number, however, they certainly were not small in deed. Despite featuring a squad made up of just nine members, the Villanova "Iron Men," as they came to be known, had plenty of talent. Led by Howard Porter, Clarence Smith, Hank Siemiontkowski, Chris Ford and Tom Ingelsby, Villanova had rolled along to a 27-6 record, had shocked a powerhouse Penn squad 90-47, and the Wildcats were making their 10th straight postseason appearance. It had all the makings for another David and Goliath story. Playing in front of a record crowd of 31,765, the Wildcats began the contest in its traditional two-three zone, concentrating defensively on Wicks and Rowe. With Wicks and Rowe finding the going tough, UCLA looked to 6-9 fifth-year senior center Steve Patterson. Patterson would burn the 'Cats for 20 points by half, hitting 9 of 13 field goals, and finish with a game high 29. "It just shows you what a good team can do. You hold down Wicks and Rowe as well as we did and that third guy kills you," exclaimed Wildcat mentor Kraft. UCLA opened up in its usual pressing zone defense and the anxious Wildcats quickly turned the ball over four times in the first five minutes and fell behind 15-10. But the Wildcats bounced back to take a 22-21 lead after a Porter follow-up, and trailed 26-25 with 9:11 to play. UCLA outscored the Villanova squad 13-7 over the next four minutes and took a 39-32 lead with just over five minutes to play, then went to the surprising tactic of a stall to force the Wildcats from their zone defense. Villanova finally obliged and switched to its man-to-man, and by half the Bruins had taken a commanding 45-37 lead. "I didn't think they could beat us man-to-man. We went to the slowdown to bring them out of their zone defense and it worked. Yes, it did hurt our momentum but that's a gamble you have to take," explained Wooden. The second half was much the same. Wooden instructed his team to spread the floor and force Villanova from its zone defense. However, this time it was the 'Cats who reaped the benefits of the defensive change to man-to-man. After a sweeping hook shot by Porter, the 'Cats pulled within four, 58-54 with 5:09 to play, UCLA went again to Patterson for what many would later call the game's crucial play. Taking a pass from Bibby, Patterson flipped a short shot which 'Nova's Porter brutally rejected. However, the official called goaltending giving the Bruins a 60-54 lead with 4:34 to go. Twice, Porter would drill a jumper to cut the lead to three, 61-58 after a Porter baseline-turnaround jumper and 63-60 after a Porter 15-footer, but that's as close as the 'Cats could come as UCLA sealed its victory with three free throws from Bibby and another goaltending call on a Patterson layup. The crown tipped and wavered but did not fall. The dynasty lived on. In the loss, Villanova earned a consolation prize of sorts. The six-point victory spread was the narrowest among UCLA's seven title clinching victories. VILLANOVA 66, GEORGETOWN 64 April 1, 1985 -- Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY VILLANOVA MIN FGM FGA FTM FTA REB A PF PTS Pressley 40 4 6 3 4 4 1 1 11 McClain 40 5 7 7 8 1 3 3 17 Pinckney 37 5 7 6 7 6 5 3 16 Wilbur 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 McLain 40 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 8 Jensen 34 5 5 4 5 1 2 2 14 Plansky 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Everson 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 200 22 28 22 27 17 14 12 66 Turnovers: 17 (Jensen 6; McClain 5; Pinckney 3; McLain 2; Pressley, 1); Blocks: 1 (Pressley); Steals: 8 (Pressley 3; McClain, Pinckney 2; Jensen 1). G'TOWN MIN FGM FGA FTM FTA REB A PF PTS Martin 37 4 6 2 2 5 1 2 10 Williams 29 5 9 0 2 4 2 3 10 Ewing 39 7 13 0 0 5 2 4 14 Jackson 37 4 7 0 0 0 9 4 8 Wingate 39 8 14 0 0 2 2 4 16 McDonald 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Broadnax 13 1 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 Dalton 4 0 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 TOTALS 200 29 53 6 8 17 18 22 64 Turnovers: 11 (Wingate 4; Williams 3; Martin, Ewing, McDonald, Broadnax 1); Blocks: 1 (Ewing); Steals: 6 (Ewing 2; Williams, Jackson, Wingate, Broadnax 1); Halftime Score: VU 29-28; Attendance: 23,124.
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