Villanova Returns Home After Crushing Defeat In NCAA Tournament
By Mike Dougherty
VILLANOVA, Pa. (CBS) -- Villanova's men's basketball team has returned home after a season-ending loss in Pittsburgh.
The top-seeded Wildcats fell to NC State 71-68 Saturday night in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It's such a bummer that they lost," said 10-year-old Jack Reidenbach. "Terrible. Just terrible."
Reidenbach was one of just a few fans on hand to greet the team at the Pavilion as the players and coaches quietly exited the bus.
"I was really upset when they lost, but I shook it off," he said. "They'll do better next year."
Despite his team's early exit from the tournament, head coach Jay Wright is proud of their 33 wins and Big East Tournament title.
"Overall, when we look back on it, we'll be proud," Wright said. "But we'll always have to face the fact that we weren't successful in the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't define us, but it's part of us."
Wright said NC State did a great job at dictating the pace of play.
"We fought till the end. We played hard," said the coach. "They just defensively did a good job of taking us out of our offensive execution."
Wright praised seniors Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston for how they performed in the loss.
"I'm really proud of those guys," he said. "Those guys led our team to the winningest season in Villanova basketball, and they're warriors. They're always going to be respected and revered within our program"
Wright said it's sad this year ended with such disappointment and it will take guys a little while to get over this one.
"We've got to own this," he said. "We failed in one game. They're not failures. They had a great season."
