BOSTON — The highest-scoring team in the nation could no longer pile up points. The roster on the verge of breaking the all-time 3-point record stopped seeing shots fall.
It was as Texas Tech envisioned.
Villanova couldn’t light it up with limited possessions. The renowned offense couldn’t appear so effortless against a defense so aggressive. The envy of every attack in the land couldn’t look so gorgeous with a hand in front of every face.
Still, Jay Wright had never seen anything more beautiful.
Despite its worst-shooting game in more than 27 months, No. 1 Villanova booked a ticket back to the Final Four behind an inspired defensive performance, and a season-best effort on the glass, defeating No. 3 Texas Tech, 71-59, in the East Region final Sunday at TD Garden.
Villanova, which set an NCAA Tournament record by hitting 47 3-pointers through the first three rounds, shot just 4-of-24 from outside, and 33.3 percent from the field, but the Wildcats grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, and held Texas Tech to 30 percent shooting.
The Wildcats (34-4) will play Kansas Saturday in the national semifinals in San Antonio, having won every game in the NCAA Tournament by double-digits. The Jayhawks defeated Duke 85-81 in overtime on Sunday.
“We were not a good defensive team for most of the year,” Wright said. “We were afraid we might run out of time. We had to keep practicing to get better defensively and rebounding-wise, and it’s specifically gratifying to see 33 percent [shooting] and out-rebounding them in the biggest game so far. That’s truly gratifying.
“That was definitely our best defensive effort of the year.”
Villanova will appear in its sixth Final Four, and try to claim its second national championship in three years, having set the record for the most wins in a four-year span (134) in Division I history.
Most Outstanding Player Jalen Brunson led the Wildcats with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Eric Paschall added 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, giving Villanova a plus-18 advantage on the glass, and 17 more free-throw attempts.
“We knew they were a great 3-point shooting team and had talented players, but we also knew how tough they were,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “We knew the identity of their team was the toughness and physicality, and that proved to be true.
“I think the difference in the game was their defense. That’s one of the best defenses we’ve played against.”
The Red Raiders (27-10) opened their first-ever Elite Eight by handing the Wildcats their largest deficit of the tournament, 9-1, but Villanova quickly adapted to its less-preferred pace.
Despite making one fewer field goal in the game, the Wildcats wisely attacked the rim with their shots falling short, and long, and wide, earning 29 points from the free-throw line.
“They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Brunson said. “If shots aren’t falling for us, we try to make sure that’s not affecting us, that we’re getting stops on the defensive end.”
Texas Tech trailed 36-23 at halftime, and cut the deficit to five in the final minutes despite the struggles of Keenan Evans (12 points), but the Wildcats never came close to surrendering control.
In an exceptionally chaotic NCAA Tournament, the No. 1 seed stood atop a ladder, and surrounded by confetti, exactly as millions of brackets expected them to be.
On the same floor where Scottie Reynolds broke the school’s 24-year Final Four drought in 2009, Wright smiled again, amazed at the power his program has become.
“When you realize you’ve made it through the final eight and you’re going to go, you just feel so blessed. You think, why me?” Wright said. “You know there’s a lot of great teams out there, a lot of great programs. … I know we have really good guys. And we have talent — it’s always talented players. It really is. Jalen and Mikal [Bridges] and Phil [Booth] … they were on a national championship team. So they’re pretty good players. And you still have them. That’s something that’s really important.”
