After the game, Villanova's 83-69 loss to North Carolina, Wildcats coach Jay Wright re-stated a theme that he has often spoken. That is, that his team never feared losing.
"I always tell our guys, 'There's nothing wrong with failing,'" Wright said. "You can't fear failure. And when it happens, you've got to learn from it. So I really want us to learn from this tonight.
"You know, we didn't play our best game. The No. 1 reason is Carolina played better tonight. You've got to give them credit. But there are things we could have done and should have done that we have to learn from. And then tomorrow, I'm going to make sure that this senior class is celebrated. I'm going to work hard at that."
The worst thing the Wildcats did was shoot; duh. The best thing they did was fight. They will see this later if they give themselves a chance.
"I mean, our greatest strength is us always being on the attack and being aggressive," junior guard Scottie Reynolds said. "Coach just kept saying to be on the attack. If the shot's there, take it. You know, we weren't going to try to do anything different that we haven't been doing all year."
And what is it that Wright always says? Shoot it up, sleep in the streets. It is a non-sequitur that basically means, shoot the ball and live with the consequences.
Tonight, the Wildcats sleep in the streets. Tomorrow, maybe, they get a chance to realize what they have accomplished.
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To read an earlier post on the Villanova game from The Idle Rich, click here.