Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright keeps Villanova in title hunt

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Jay and Patty Wright held hands as they weaved their way around the Madison Square Garden court, trying —- if only for a second or two — to thank the crowd that stuck around after the Big East Tournament title game until ushers blocked anyone from approaching the couple.

For the students, the band, the coach flashed the "V" as he does after a victory. The former Villanova players get a quick wave or a hug. No one who wants a moment with the coach is left unrecognized amid the hoopla and Kool and The Gang blaring over the sound system.

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"You go to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it’s not like this," Wright said about the New York championship scene. "And you’re not in this arena. And you’re not in New York City. This is a big jolt. This is big time. And we all know it and we feel it."

Now with that party over, the trick is avoiding the comedown as the second-seeded Wildcats (26-7) head to Pittsburgh for the NCAA Tournament opener Friday against No. 15 Delaware.

"When you go through that experience at Madison Square Garden, and you’re in that excitement, and then you come down from that and people are hyping you up, you’ve got to get yourself refocused," Wright said. "It concerns me. It’s something we’ve done before."

Yes, they have.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright gestures to supporters while cutting down the net after the final of the Big East conference tournament against Creighton, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Wright has been as masterful at avoiding the upsets in recent years in the NCAA Tournament as he is schmoozing donors and fans. He can