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BOSTON — Even around here, where the professional ranks rule the roost in our sports landscape and college athletics are the subject of widespread apathy, it’s easy to get caught up in the madness.
March Madness, that is.
College basketball is seemingly the forgotten winter sport year in and year out in Boston, taking a distant back seat to the Celtics, the Bruins, and probably Hockey East. But on Friday night, college hoop took center stage in The Hub with the men’s East Regional semifinals — the Sweet 16 — at TD Garden.
And, guess what? Folks packed the building and they were astoundingly entertained during a night of fantastic competition from top-tier programs. Sure, you had large contingents who made the lengthy trips to watch Villanova, West Virginia, Purdue and Texas Tech play for a spot in the Elite 8. But there were also plenty of locals who plopped down the money to witness the greatest prolonged sporting event that we have in this country — The NCAA Tournament.
Those of us who already love college basketball already know how great the sport can be. For others, Friday night served as notice that college hoop is more than just a novelty in the form of a 68-team tourney bracket. And, at its best, it’s really spectacular.
The night’s first contest between top-seeded Villanova and fifth-seeded West Virginia was special from start to finish.
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In the end, Villanova earned a 90-78 victory, led by junior point guard Jalen Brunson’s 27 points and four assists. Brunson, whose father Rick won a state title at Salem High School and was a McDonald’s All-American, led the Wildcats on a 30-18 run to close out the game after it was tied 60-60 with 10 minutes left. Brunson had just three turnovers against West Virginia’s relentless defensive pressure.
Villanova (33-4) will face the winner of Friday night’s late game between No. 2 Purdue and No. 3 Texas Tech on Sunday at TD Garden for a chance to advance to next weekend’s Final Four in San Antonio.
“What a game, man. What a college basketball game,” said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “I hope that looked as good as it did from the bench. All the credit in the world to West Virginia. That was the most physically demanding, mentally demanding 40 minutes we’ve played in a long time.”
In typical NCAA fashion, the arena was stripped of most of its character and sterilized down to the point that the only recognizable TD Garden trait remaining was the Bruins’ and Celtics’ championship banners hanging in the rafters. The last time the East Regional was held in Boston in 2012, the NCAA ordered the banners to be taken down. This time they allowed them to stay.
However, a specially made court took the place of the Garden’s customary parquet and all advertisement signs were removed in favor of NCAA logos.
But the excitement of the game more than made up for the drab decor. There were eight ties, six lead changes, angry dunks and phenomenal shooting. Villanova made 13-of-24 from deep for a blistering 54.2 percent. Freshman forward Omari Spellman made 4-of-7 from 3-point range on his way to an 18-point, eight-rebound night for the Wildcats.
It was a passionate, largely pro-Villanova crowd. These were two old Big East rivals (West Virginia is now in the Big 12) in an old Big East city (Boston College, which is hosting the event, is now in the ACC). The arena was lively all night, with momentum hinging on almost every possession.
“When I started watching film, I just thought, man, this is a tough matchup, number one,” said Wright. “And if we survive this, we’re a pretty mentally tough team.”
They survived it all right and put on a show in the process. As did, West Virginia, which got a team-high 16 points from senior guard Daxter Miles Jr. before he fouled out late in the game.
Fellow senior guard Jevon Carter, the Mountaineers star who was billed as the headline act with his showdown against Brunson, finished with 12 points and eight assists. He was asked about his NCAA Tournament experience after the loss.
“Everybody is in tune with March Madness,” said Carter. “I feel like it’s bigger than the NBA Playoffs. Every game is on TV. Everybody’s talking about March. Anything can happen in March — a lot of upsets, games going down to the wire. It’s just a great atmosphere to play in.”
There’s nothing like it.
Follow Matt Langone on Twitter @MattLangone
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