Everything is different for Villanova on this NCAA trip, except winning. Here’s why

Just about everything is different for Villanova, the 2018 national champion, in this NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats arrived as a No. 6 seed, and there’s a hotel hierarchy for tournament teams. The better the seed, the better the lodging.

“We’ve been a 1 or a 2-seed for a while,” Villanova Coach Jay Wright said. “You’re in a different kind of hotel. It’s nice but it’s, you know, different.”

Something else was off about Villanova’s opener on Thursday against St. Mary’s. The Wildcats trailed at halftime. That didn’t happen in any of their six NCAA games last season.

But Villanova turned to their experienced hands, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, who reserved the game’s course early in the second half and led the Wildcats to a hard-fought 61-57 triumph.

Starters in last season’s NCAA title game victory against Michigan, Booth and Paschall combined for seven points in a 12-3 run to open the second half. The Wildcats, who trailed 30-28 at the break, took the lead and never gave it back.

Booth and Paschall combined for 20 of the Wildcats’ 33 second half points. Booth added five of his six assists in the second half.

A year ago, the veteran Wildcats donned championship shirts and caps, took a confetti shower and watched “One Shining Moment.”

In the first game of its title defense, Villanova didn’t dominate as it did in many of its NCAA games last year. But they scrapped and clawed for a victory and those familiar with the journey led the way.

“We’ve relied on them all year for every situation,” Wright said. “Phil and Eric, just when we leave the locker room here, I’ll say, ‘Make sure the guys are straight.’ They know what we’re doing here. We rely on them for everything.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Everything is different for Villanova on this NCAA trip, except winning. Here’s why."