NEW YORK — Although there weren’t many people in attendance for the 9:30 p.m. 2K Sports Classic semifinal tip off between Purdue and Villanova, the lights always seem to be brighter and the stage that much bigger at Madison Square Garden.
How couldn’t that be the case when playing in “The World’s Most Famous Arena?”
The excitement is felt and you can just sense the rich history of both college and professional basketball once you walk inside the building.
Purdue and Villanova have a rich history of their own as the two programs faced off on Thursday night for the first time in the 1995-96 season with a slot in the 2K Sports Classic Championship on the line.
This game may not have had huge implications, but it sure was a thriller at Madison Square Garden, with the Wildcats pulling out an 89-81 overtime win over Purdue.
Villanova, which improved to 3-0, will meet Alabama in the championship game at 9:30 Friday night at the Garden.
“We had some guts in the end,” Villanova coach Jay Wright told ESPN’s Andy Katz afterward. “I’m proud of our guys. We have a lot of heart and potential but a lot of work to do.”
After a disappointing 13-19 season last year, which kept the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven seasons, Wright has a core nucleus of young players that are winning tough ballgames down the stretch and show no signs of resiliency.
“It was tough, physical basketball it really was,” Wright said in his postgame press conference. “I thought we came up with some big stops our press as very effective. They were tough, they made big plays. It came down to physicality, their offensive rebounds, good traps by us, guys on loose balls. It was a Big East vs. Big Ten game. It was great to be apart of.”
One of the young Villanova players who impressed was Darrun Hilliard, a sophomore who set a career-high with 22 points to lead the Wildcats.
And freshman point guard Ryan Arcidiacono continued to be the Wildcats’ go-to-man on the offensive side of the floor as Arcidiacano dropped 18 points points, including 10 in the first half — nine of which came on three 3-pointers.
Arcidiacono went cold after halftime and finished 3-for-14 from the field, but went 9–for-10 from the charity strike, hitting multiple key free throws down the stretch to help mount a valiant Wildcat comeback.
“It was a great team effort, honestly,” Arcidiacono said. “I couldn’t get my shot going in the second half. I hit the backboard the first a couple of times. I felt more comfortable on the free-throw line so once I got there I knew I felt the most comfortable shooting the ball.”
Terone Johnson’s 3-pointer from the wing looked to be the nail in the coffin for the Wildcats putting Purdue up 70-62 with just over two minutes remaining in the game but Villanova fought back behind some key charging fouls.
The game featured a controversial call late as a Boilermakers player was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on a play that helped Villanova get back in the game.
Villanova would have a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Arcidiacono couldn’t hit a runner.
Nova’s momentum carried swiftly into overtime, though, and the young Cats team wouldn’t allow another Purdue comeback to spoil this dramatic thriller.
James Bell hit another clutch 3-pointer, his third of the game, to put Nova up 83-79 with 2:02 left. Bell chipped in 15 points.
“You’re gonna have good days and you’re gonna have bad days, but as a shooter it can’t get to you, it can’t deter you,” Bell said. “You gotta keep shooting and that’s what I did tonight. We came out with the win.”
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Notes: Villanova and Purdue combined for 54 made field-goal attempts last night. … There were 53 personal fouls combined. … The 2K Sports Classic benefits the Wounded Warriors project.
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Sound off: The Wildcats were picked to finish 12th in the Big East this season. Can this young Wildcats team become a conference contender as the season progresses?
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Jay Wright Postgame Press Conference Video
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