The Perfect Game: How Villanova's Shocking 1985 Upset of Mighty Georgetown Changed the Landscape of College Hoops Forever
In the 1985 NCAA basketball championship game, the Georgetown Hoyas, pursuing their second title in a row, were heavily favored against Villanova. Fitzpatrick examines the game from the perspectives of the participants as well as its historical context. At the time, the operative phrase in college hoops was “Hoya Paranoia.” The shorthand, racist categorization of the all-black, aggressive Georgetown team was “thugs.” Fitzpatrick examines that perception and debunks it thoroughly. Villanova, on the other hand, was seen as the little-engine-that-could with its chubby, lovable Italian American coach, Rollie Massimino, and its racially mixed roster. (Ironically, it was later revealed that one of Villanova’s stars was a longtime drug abuser.) Fitzpatrick profiles all the key players as well as the coaches, tracks the schools’ journeys to the finals, and provides an appropriately breathless account of the game, which was one of the last to be played without the three-point shot or a shot clock. Ranked as one of the greatest upsets in college basketball, the 1985 title game continues to give hope to underdogs everywhere. A very intelligent bit of basketball history. --Wes Lukowsky