VILLANOVA, Pa., March 11 - The room full of Villanova faithfuls got a serious scare from Greg Gumbel on Sunday.
"Maryland will play the Wildcats of ."
What?!
". Davidson."
Whew!
The fans quieted down quickly during Sunday's NCAA Tournament selection broadcast when they realized their Wildcats were not the 13-seed forced to play the No. 4 Terrapins. But as they learned soon after, Villanova will still have its work cut out as a 9-seed on Thursday when it takes on eighth-seeded Kentucky in Chicago Friday evening.
Kentucky went 21-11 during the regular season and 9-7 in the Southeastern Conference, but enters the Tournament as losers of five of its last seven. Two of those losses came against top-seeded Florida, but Villanova coach Jay Wright expects the 'other' Wildcats to come out firing.
"They're a great program, we're a great program, that's what it's all about," he said. "What's better than being in Chicago on Friday?"
Wright raised some eyebrows when he took the podium and told the crowd that going to the Tournament was an "annual tradition" for Villanova. Talking to reporters a few moments later, he put things in perspective.
"I said I'm happy that it's becoming an annual tradition," he said sheepishly.
For the seniors at Villanova (22-10), Selection Sunday was another chance to look back on their accomplishments over the past four years.
"When I first got here we [had gone] to the NIT four years in a row," senior forward Will Sheridan said.
But Sheridan credited much of the program's recent string of NCAA Tournament appearances to its newcomers.
"They're like sponges," he said of Villanova's freshmen. "They do everything we say."
Especially Scottie Reynolds. The 6-foot-1 freshman point guard heads into Thursday's game sporting a 14.5-point scoring average and already has several clutch outbursts to his name.
But Villanova's offense comes and goes, and with Kentucky - one of the nation's best defensive teams - on the docket, points will be at a premium.
Wright was not surprised by the opponent he was dealt.
"I told [the players] we're either going to get a team we've never heard of," he said, "or a team that goes every year."
