page_title: Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
section_title: 2018 National Champions
hierarchical_section_title: Villanova Wildcats men's basketball / History / Jay Wright era (2001–present) / 2018 National Champions
caption_attribution_description: English: Villanova Championship Parade 2018
context_page_description: The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball program represent Villanova University in men's college basketball and competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. Their first season was the 1920–21 season. Named the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Philadelphia Big Five, five Philadelphia college basketball teams who share a passionate rivalry.
  The Wildcats have won the National Championship three times: 1985, 2016, and 2018. Their 1985 NCAA championship as an 8 seed still stands as the lowest seed ever to win the title. The game is referred to as "The Perfect Game" as they shot a record 78.6% as a team for the game. Their 2016 NCAA Championship, is referred to as "The Perfect Ending" and is one of only two NCAA Men's Championship games to be won on a buzzer beater, as Kris Jenkins drained a shot as time expired. They made the Final Four in 1939, 1971, 1985, 2009, 2016, and 2018; their six Final Four appearances are 13th most all-time. As of 2019, they have an NCAA Tournament record of 65–37. Villanova has defeated six No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, which is sixth most all-time.
context_section_description: The Wildcats finished second in regular season Big East play, won the Big East tournament, and were undefeated in non-conference play. They were awarded the top seed in the East Regional for the NCAA tournament. They reached the Final Four with wins over 16 seed Radford, 9 seed Alabama, 5 seed West Virginia and 3 seed Texas Tech with each victory coming by double-digit margins. In the National Semifinals they faced the Kansas Jayhawks, the one seed from the Midwest Region, and defeated them 95–79. In this game Villanova set the new record for successful 3-point attempts in a Final Four game (breaking the previous full-game record before reaching halftime, finishing with 18 total made attempts). In the NCAA Tournament Championship Game they played the Michigan Wolverines, the 3 seed from the West Region. The Wildcats earned their third national championship in school history by beating the Wolverines 79–62. The game saw a historic performance by Big East Sixth Man of the Year Donte DiVincenzo (31 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks), named the 2018 Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. Coach Wright led the team to a 36–4 record for the 2017–18 season (14–4 Big East).  The 36–4 mark sets the record for most wins in any Villanova season. Jalen Brunson received the Wooden Award as well as Associated Press and Naismith National Player of the Year Awards for his season leading the Wildcats. Mikal Bridges was presented the Julius Erving Award as the nation's best small forward—the second straight year a Villanova player achieved that honor after Josh Hart won it in 2017. Jay Wright was named winner of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award.
caption: Championship parade in Center City, Philadelphia on April 5, 2018
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