| Villanova Wildcats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Villanova University | ||
| First season | 1920–1921 | ||
| All-time record | 1,849–956 (.659) | ||
| Head coach | Kyle Neptune (3rd season) | ||
| Conference | Big East | ||
| Location | Villanova, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
| Arena | William B. Finneran Pavilion (6,500) Wells Fargo Center (21,600) | ||
| Nickname | Wildcats | ||
| Student section | Nova Nation | ||
| Colors | Navy blue and white[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament champions | |||
| 1985, 2016, 2018 | |||
| NCAA tournament runner-up | |||
| 1971* | |||
| NCAA tournament Final Four | |||
| 1939, 1971*, 1985, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2022 | |||
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
| 1939, 1949, 1962, 1970, 1971*, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2006, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2022 | |||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1951, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1970, 1971*, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022 | |||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
| 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1939, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971*, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 *vacated | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1997, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 | |||
The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball program represent Villanova University in men's college basketball and competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. Their first season was the 1920–21 season. Named the Wildcats, Villanova is a member of the Philadelphia Big Five, five Philadelphia college basketball teams who share a passionate rivalry.
The Wildcats have won the national championship three times: 1985, 2016, and 2018. Their 1985 NCAA championship victory as an 8 seed still stands as the lowest seed ever to win the title. The championship game of that year is referred to as "The Perfect Game" as they shot a championship game record 78.6% as a team for the game (22 for 28, including 9 for 10 in the second half).[2] Their 2016 NCAA Championship is referred to as "The Perfect Ending" and became the second of only two NCAA Men's Championship games to be won on a buzzer beater when Kris Jenkins drained a shot as time expired.[3] Their most recent national championship victory in 2018 was the culmination of a season many believe to be one of, if not, the greatest college basketball season for a team of all time. They made the Final Four in 1939, 1971, 1985, 2009, 2016, 2018, and 2022; their six Final Four appearances are 13th most all-time. As of 2019, they have an NCAA Tournament record of 65–37 (.637).
Villanova has defeated six No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament (Michigan and Georgetown in 1985, Pittsburgh in 2009, Kansas and North Carolina in 2016, and Kansas in 2018), which is sixth most all-time. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA tournament 39 times, the eighth highest total in NCAA history. They have won the Big East regular season championship eight times, most recently winning four straight from 2014 to 2017. They won the Big East tournament in 1995, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. Through 2021, Villanova has 1,817 wins, which is 19th among Division I men's basketball teams and is tied for 9th in all time winning percentage at (.657). Villanova has won the Philadelphia Big Five 27 times, and is tied with Temple University for the most of any team, including five straight from 2014 to 2018. The Wildcats have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 18 times, winning in 1994.
- ^ Villanova Athletics Identity Standards Guide and Apparel Specifications (PDF). February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "The Perfect Game". Sports Illustrated Longform. Archived from the original on 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
- ^ "Greatest game ever? Villanova's Perfect Ending had everything". New York Post. 2016-04-05. Archived from the original on 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-19.