March Madness: Villanova back in Final Four with gritty victory over Texas Tech

BOSTON — The greatest question and biggest fear for Villanova was what might happen to the Wildcats if their trademark three-point shooting deserted them. Where would they be then? The answer arrived loud and clear Sunday: Villanova would be just fine, and on its way to the Final Four.

“It just shows we can fight through anything,” said Eric Paschall, the big man who was as essential as anyone for the gut-check, 71-59 win over Texas Tech because he was so strong as a rebounder and defender. “It didn’t matter if we made our shots or not. We did a great job fighting through it.”

So much for the assumption that Villanova’s hopes for the national title would live by the three-pointer and die by the three-pointer. So much for the team’s quirky motto, “Shoot ’em up and sleep in the streets,” which essentially means keep shooting even if it is so bad they won’t let you into your own house. Despite making only 16.7 percent (4-for-24) from beyond the three-point line and missing exactly two-thirds of its shots, Villanova was very much at home in a scrappy game. And it is awake and alive, headed to San Antonio next Saturday to face Michigan.

The Wildcats out-defended Texas Tech, which reached the Elite Eight for the first time on the strength of its defense, and found ways to make big plays and get to the line. Jalen Brunson, Villanova’s national player of the year candidate who missed all four of his three-point attempts, said, “We’re still going to be confident, no matter what. If the shots are going in or not, we have confidence in each other.”

Confidence was plunged into a crucible right from the start as Villanova (34-4) fell behind 9-1, its largest deficit of the Tournament. But the Wildcats inched back and essentially decided the game by shutting out Texas Tech (27-10) for the final 3:01 of the half. The lead was 13 at intermission, and the Red Raiders never did get closer than four.

Villanova proved it can win more than one type of game. As Tech coach Chris Beard said, “We knew they were a great three-point shooting team with talented players, but we also knew how tough they were. We knew the identity of their team was toughness and physicality, and that proved to be true.”

A knack for getting inside and drawing fouls helped Villanova, which shot 35 free throws to Texas Tech’s 18. So did an ability to seize the moment, such as a pair of emphatic two-handed dunks by guard Donte DiVincenzo, who is known mainly for — you guessed it — his three-point shooting.

Paschall embodied and enabled the approach this time, with 12 points, 14 rebounds and outstanding defense. “Eric was a beast today,” coach Jay Wright said.

The redshirt junior had a decidedly different reputation in high school and in one season at Fordham. He was a scorer. But he decided to leave Fordham when coach Tom Pecora was fired. Paschall landed with Wright, Pecora’s friend and former boss at Hofstra.

“He has definitely gotten a lot better just because of how his mentality has changed and how good his work ethic has definitely improved,” Brunson said. Wright said Paschall has become a premier defender: “He can guard any position. He was switching onto [Keenan] Evans at point guard.”

By transferring, Paschall had to sit out a season. It just happened to be 2015-16, when he sat and watched Villanova win the national title. It made him hungry and appreciative.

“It’s a winning program, they develop their players,” the 6-9 forward said. “They just do a great job and I wanted to be a part of it. Right now, I’m so blessed to be here and I feel like I just made a great decision, coming here.”

On this day, “here” also meant a place on the all-East Regional team and a place in the Final Four.