Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright Jr. is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of Villanova University from 2001 until 2022. Wright led the Villanova to six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances in 21 seasons as head coach. Under Wright, Villanova reached four Final Fours and won two national championships in 2016 and 2018.
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 Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. On December 15, 2012, Villanova and the other six, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference. This conference assumed the Big East name on July 1, 2013.
Denise Dillon is the head women's basketball coach at Villanova, returning to her alma mater from Drexel, where she was the program's most successful coach since it moved to Division I in 1982–83. She had been at the helm of the Dragons program since 2003, and was named the 2005, 2009, 2018, and 2020 CAA Coach of the Year.
The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. The team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The 2008–09 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by Jay Wright in his eighth year as head coach of the Wildcats. The Wildcats played their home games at The Pavilion on the school's campus as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 30–8, 13–5 in Big East play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the semifinals of the Big East tournament to Louisville. The Wildcats received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East region. They defeated American, UCLA, Duke, and Pittsburgh to advance to the Final Four. In the Final Four they were defeated by the eventual national champion for the second straight year, North Carolina.
The 2010–11 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2010–11 college basketball season. Villanova was led by head coach Jay Wright. The Wildcats participated in the Big East Conference and played their home games at The Pavilion with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center. They finished the season 21–12, 9–9 in Big East play and lost in the first round of the 2011 Big East men's basketball tournament to South Florida. They received an at-large bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they lost in the second round to George Mason.
The 2006–07 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2006–07 college basketball season. Villanova was led by head coach Jay Wright. The Wildcats participated in the Big East Conference and played their home games at The Pavilion with some select home games at the Wachovia Center. They finished the season 22–11, 9–7 in Big East play. They received an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning a 9 seed, where they lost to Kentucky in the first round.
The 2014–15 Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team is representing Villanova University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats led by thirty-seventh year head coach Harry Perretta, they played their games at The Pavilion and were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 22–14, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in third place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Big East women's tournament where they lost to DePaul. They were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Maine in the first round, Old Dominion in the second round, Big East member St. John's in the third round before losing to West Virginia in the quarterfinals.
The 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by the school's 8th head coach Jay Wright in his 15th year, the Wildcats were members of the Big East Conference and played most of their home games at The Pavilion, with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 35–5, 16–2 to win the Big East regular season. They lost in the championship of the Big East tournament to Seton Hall. The Wildcats earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed. In the Tournament, they defeated UNC Asheville, Iowa, Miami, and overall #1 seed Kansas to earn a trip to the Final Four, the fifth in school history. In the Final Four, the Wildcats routed No. 2 seed Oklahoma by the largest margin in Final Four history to face No. 1 seeded North Carolina for the national championship. Led by Final Four MOP, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Wildcats won the National Championship on a three-point shot by Kris Jenkins, assisted by Arcidiacano, as time expired. The Wildcats won the school's second national title, having previously won the 1985 NCAA tournament.
Josh Hart is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz with the 30th overall pick before being traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team is representing Villanova University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by thirty-eighth year head coach Harry Perretta, they played their games at The Pavilion and were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 20–12, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in a tie for second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East women's tournament to Creighton. They were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Liberty in the first round before losing to Bucknell in the second.
The 2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 16th year, the Wildcats participated in the Big East Conference and played their home games at The Pavilion, with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They finished the season 32–4, 15–3 in Big East play to win the regular season championship. In the Big East tournament, they defeated St. John's, Seton Hall, and Creighton to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were given the Tournament's overall No. 1 seed as a No. 1 seed in the East region. In the First Round they defeated Mount St. Mary's before being upset by No. 8-seeded Wisconsin in the Second Round. The loss marked the second time in the previous three tournaments that Villanova was upset by an eighth-seeded team.
The 2017–18 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 17th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Big East Conference. The Wildcats finished the season 36–4, 14–4 in Big East play to finish in second place. They defeated Marquette, Butler, and Providence to win the Big East tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East region, their third No.1 seed in four years. They defeated Radford, Alabama, West Virginia, and Texas Tech to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three years. In the National Semifinal, they defeated Kansas before defeating Michigan in the National Championship game to win their second national championship in three years. They won every game of the tournament by a double-digit margin and the team's tournament run is widely considered the most dominant ever along with being called among the best seasons of all time.
The 2017–18 Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team represents Villanova University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by fortieth year head coach Harry Perretta, play their games at Jake Nevin Field House due to renovations at The Pavilion and were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 23–9, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East women's tournament to Georgetown. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated South Dakota State in the first round before losing to Notre Dame in the second round.
The 2018–19 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 18th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania and Wells Fargo Center as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 13–5 in Big East play to finish in first place. They defeated Providence, Xavier, and Seton Hall to win the Big East tournament. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. There they defeated Saint Mary's before being defeated by Purdue in the Second Round.
The 2019–20 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 19th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania and Wells Fargo Center as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 13–5 in Big East play which put them in a three-way tie for first place. As the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament, they were slated to play DePaul in the quarterfinals, but the Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the NCAA postseason. The team officially finished ninth in the Coaches Poll and tenth in the AP Poll, which served as de facto selectors during the season.
The 2020–21 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 20th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania. However they did not play at Wells Fargo Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 18-7, 11-4 in Big East Play to finish as regular season champions. They were upset in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament by Georgetown. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Winthrop and North Texas to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to the eventual champions Baylor.
The 1983–84 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University during the 1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. The team finished tied for second in the Big East regular season standings and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Illinois. Villanova finished with a 19–12 record.
The 2022–23 Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by 3rd-year head coach Denise Dillon, play their home games at the Finneran Pavilion and are members of the Big East Conference.
