V for Villanova, V for Victory

Hours before Villanova takes on Kansas in the Sweet 16, I have two Villanova factoids of little interest to anyone outside of Radnor. 1) Recently resigned Centcom commander Admiral William “Fox” Fallon is a Villanova NROTC grad. In fact, he is the third Villanova NROTC alum to be appointed to the Centcom post. No surprise to those that know how big the NROTC program is on campus. Indeed, my good friend and former Stanford Hall roommate, the “Big Sperm,” was a NROTC sailor and went on to be a naval aviator flying P-3s out of Jacksonville NAS (among other stations, but Jax had the best base golf course).

 

The other factoid is one previously mentioned, but especially pertinent in tonight’s 1 vs. 12 seed matchup. Villanova has the best record of any team in the tournament when playing a higher seed. Just something to think about.

 

This run hearkens back to the unexpected 2005 run with another young team. Both faced traditional powerhouses, North Carolina back then, Kansas tonight – which many feared would/could be a blow out. Here’s hoping for another competitive game and one that doesn’t come down to some lame traveling call against the Wildcats with three seconds to go and a chance for the win.