I would think any of us who covered the Darrun Hilliard era at Liberty High School became Wildcat fans the minute he accepted his scholarship at Villanova to play basketball there. He has had a terrific career and is now looking forward to the start of the NCAA tournament after winning the Big East and getting a #1 seed in the East Region. Darrun is the Wildcats leading scorer on a team where balanced scoring is the norm and defense is their greatest strength. I have watched many of Darrun’s games throughout his career and the “I knew him when” thoughts constantly crept into my psyche.
But on Sunday at 6:20pm, he suddenly became the enemy. His Villanova team was paired up in the NCAA bracket with #16 seed Lafayette! The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, in Pittsburgh at 6:50pm. For this one game, I will root against Darrun Hilliard and cheer on the underdog Lafayette Leopards. I am not alone.
Imagine how Lafayette head coach Fran O’Hanlon feels. Fran played at Villanova under Jack Kraft, who died this past August at the age of 93. The Villanova players remember Coach by wearing his initials on their uniforms. Fran is a 1970 graduate. He was the team co-captain for the 1969-70 Wildcat team that reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. Fran averaged 13.1 points per game and still holds the record for assists in one game (16). He is a true Philadelphia guy, having gone to St. Thomas More high school, being named to the Villanova Hall of Fame in 1992, and coaching at Monsignor Bonner High School and assisting under current Temple head coach Fran Dunphy at the University of Penn. When you are in Fran’s company in Philadelphia, the stories flow and the fun is non-stop.
All of those good feelings will change for two hours on Thursday night. This is Fran’s third trip to the NCAA tournament, having made the tournament in 1999 and 2000, losing to Miami, Fla. and Temple. Lafayette will be a huge underdog again. No #16 team has ever beaten a #1 team since the tournament began. Then again, look what had to happen for Lafayette to even get to this game:
(1) Lafayette needed to beat Army in the last regular season game in order for Lafayette to qualify for a quarterfinal home game (they did);
(2) Holy Cross needed to upset Boston University in the final game played in the regular season in order for Lafayette to actually get a quarterfinal home game (they did);
(3) #4 seed Lafayette needed to beat #5 seed Boston University, a team that beat them by 14 at home in their previous match-up (they did);
(4) #6 American University needed to beat #3 seed Lehigh at Lehigh (they did);
(5) #4 seed Lafayette needed to upset #1 seed Bucknell at Bucknell, a feat NEVER accomplished before in the Patriot League semifinals (they did);
(6) #6 American University needed to beat #2 Colgate in the following game for Lafayette to get a home championship game (they did);
(7) #4 Lafayette needed to beat #6 American after losing to them twice during the regular season for the Patriot League Championship (they did!)
Are they a team of destiny on Thursday night in Pittsburgh? My head says, “No”. My heart says, “Maybe”. Go, Leopards!!
P.S. If Villanova wins, I will jump on the Wildcats wagon. Go, Darrun!!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- I like Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Duke in the Final Four for the tournament. Kentucky beats Duke in the final.
- The Eastern Washington Eagles will upset Georgetown and be the lowest seed to go the deepest in the brackets.
- Look for my reports from Pittsburgh this week on goleopards.com.
- As I write this, District 12 out of Philadelphia is dominating the PIAA playoffs again in boys’ basketball. Out of the 16 teams remaining in the four classifications, District 12 has eight of them. They do the same in football. Time to investigate?
- Enjoy the NCAA Tournament. Don’t forget to get some sleep!
