Villanova’s 1985 title celebration was fun, but its win over Providence really mattered

The Wells Fargo Center was rich with nostalgia on Friday night, as Villanova honored the 40th anniversary of its famed 1985 men’s basketball national championship.

If it wasn’t quite rich with attendance — the crowd was 10,253, and the upper deck mostly was empty — then at least those present got to see something special. Many players from the Wildcats’ first title team stood on the court at halftime, including names that still echo today like Dwayne McClain, Harold Pressley, and Ed Pinckney.

The good feelings were just strong enough that fans of a certain vintage could dream like they often do: that there must be some way to make things how they used to be, when college basketball mattered much more than it does now.

If only …

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But those fans were forced to snap out of their dreams by a loud clanking sound that rose repeatedly from the court. Villanova hit just three of its first 13 shots in its 75-73 win over Providence, and the Friars hit just three of their first 16.

The crowd didn’t hide its opinion. Yet looking around at them, it was notable how many weren’t alive in 1985, and not just in the student section. Younger spectators were all around the arena.

That’s a reflection of how Villanova has handled college basketball’s modern times better than any other team in town, and how it’s still possible to build bonds around sports if Big 5 schools work on it.

It certainly helps if those teams win, which the Wildcats haven’t done enough these days. Kyle Neptune knows that better than anyone. His Wildcats squandered the momentum of a big-time home win over Connecticut by losing at St. John’s and Xavier afterward. That made Friday’s game even more of a must-win than it already was for the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

Nor did Neptune need reminding about his hot seat. He’s heard about it plenty by now. It was enough when new Villanova athletic director Eric Roedl was shown on the big screen during a first-half media timeout — and it was more than enough when Providence led, 37-32, at halftime, after the Wildcats had led 23-14 with 6 minutes, 31 seconds left in the period.

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Then came that ceremony, and the 1985 team was preceded onto the court by ex-players from other years. The presences of Randy Foye, Daniel Ochefu, and other recent names along with the older guard was a reminder that when we compare this Villanova team to past greats, we’re talking more about Jay Wright’s era than Jack Kraft’s and Rollie Massimino’s.

The ’85 team gets it.

“Every year, guys get bigger, stronger, faster. That’s part of life,” Chuck Everson said.

Gary McLain enjoyed noting that he played youth basketball with Michael Jordan, and, like Everson, called himself “a little partial” to his era. But he was just as forthright.

“On the point guard situation and how guys are moving, definitely, the athleticism is beyond belief,” he said. “Each era advances on its own.”

That doesn’t mean it’s easy to build a team. It’s fair to lament that while also acknowledging it’s simply the way college basketball is, at least until the NCAA changes the rules again (while begging Congress to do the work it should do itself).

» READ MORE: Dan Hurley says Villanova is NCAA Tournament-bound. The Wildcats still have to prove it. | Mike Sielski

“John Pinone, Mike Mulquin, and Stu Granger taught us,” Everson said. “We then taught Mark Plansky, Mark Plansky taught Gary Massey, and so on down the line. I think that’s the bigger difference.”

But keep this in mind, too: not everything was actually halcyon in the halcyon days.

“I would have loved to have had a training table — we didn’t have one,” said Pinckney, who remains a Finneran Pavilion fixture after many years as a player and coach. “We used to go to the mess hall after practice, and we all sprinted to the cafeteria because they closed at 7. We usually got there at 6:30, and hopefully there was food left over.”

For as crazy as the facilities arms race gets some places, it’s worth remembering that it’s done for the athletes.

“I mean all the athletes are — and I mean men’s and women’s, not just men — they’re all high-level athletes who come in and expect things to be a certain way,” Pinckney said. “I feel lucky to be a part of a university that provides that for all their athletes.”

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Ultimately, Villanova prevailed over a Providence team that entered the night 3-4 in the Big East, 9-9 overall, and No. 88 in the NCAA’s NET ranking. It was certainly closer than it should have been, and the final seconds were dragged out far too long by the referees. Eric Dixon’s 23 points and eight rebounds and Wooga Poplar’s 15 and 13 led the way.

All those stoppages were moments to look at the shirts Villanova’s bench players wore over their jerseys. “WE PLAY FOR THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US,” they said, a reference to the night’s festivities but also a long-held mantra.

“We’re honored that they continue to come around and take such pride in the program,” Neptune said.

But history also can be a lot to bear in a city and a sport that love nostalgia. Even more for a team that isn’t meeting always-high expectations and for a coach taking arrows over it.

“We don’t look at it like a lot at all,” Neptune said when asked about that.

Good. But there’s also nothing wrong with his team playing for itself, even if it too often hasn’t played well enough.

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