Jay Wright: 'Not Making Drastic Changes Based On Missing One Shot'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- As bad as Villanova played, they still had a shot to win it.
Despite shooting a horrid 31.1% from the field (19-61), 32.1% from three-point range (9-28), and getting out-rebounded 45-32 in their NCAA Tournament Round-Of-32 loss against No. 8 seeded NC State, Nova's Dylan Ennis had a wide-open three with 19-seconds remaining that would have given his team the led.
But it didn't fall.
And Jay Wright and his Villanova Wildcats were eliminated, failing to reach the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the third straight time in six years. Wright, who is often criticized for his guard-oriented, live-or-die jump shooting style Nova teams, isn't changing anything.
"If we make that shot, we survive, we win," Wright told Michael Barkann and Ike Reese Tuesday on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show. "Now we're playing well, we go on to the next round. I don't want to make drastic changes based on missing one shot, you know? I want to stick with what we do and what fits our culture.
Listen: Jay Wright on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show
"I kinda felt like it was more they were playing a little bit hungrier," he continued. "They were playing a one-seed and they were a very talented, talented team. We were just playing like we're the one seed and it's the next game for us, when we got to recognize how hard teams are coming at us. And when you're playing these top teams at this point in the year, you've got to be at another level."
Wright understands the heat he and his team is taking for under-achieving, telling his players they need to own it.
"We're trying to teach our guys, you can't take all the accolades during the year and then when you fail at something not expect people to be disappointed or be critical," Wright explained. "You just gotta own that, you gotta take it. We took the praise during the season and now we didn't accomplish what we wanted to and we didn't have our best game, so we gotta take the hits. There's nothing wrong with that. There's wrong with failing. The only problem with failing is if you blame someone else, so own it."
