Of the 1,799 wins recorded in the 100 seasons of Villanova Basketball, it's  seldom mentioned even among the most passionate Nova Nation diehards. It's become a postseason footnote to the events that transpired beyond it.

            What happened on a Friday afternoon in March 2005 in the home of the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators was quickly overshadowed by the Wildcats' games that followed it – a 76-65 NCAA Tournament round of 32 victory over Florida and a painful 67-66 loss to North Carolina at the Carrier Dome one week later.

            Yet Villanova's 55-47 victory over New Mexico in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament – played 15 years ago this week - is worth revisiting. For it was not merely a prelude – the first of 28 NCAA Tournament victories over the next 15 seasons – but also a study in how a gifted yet callow team began to establish an identity on the grandest stage the sport has to offer.

            To be clear: this was no offensive masterpiece in the style of the 2009 NCAA East Regional Final (a 78-76 win over Pittsburgh) or the 2016 NCAA title game win over North Carolina (77-74).

            Rather, it was a scrappy affair with two determined teams contesting every shot. For the Wildcats, the 40 minutes were an early affirmation of a hard-earned lesson they had only begun to comprehend.

            Will Sheridan, a sophomore forward on that team usually tasked with interior defense and rebounding, recently pulled up a box-score to refresh his memory of the contest.

            "If I scored eight points," he quipped in a telephone call from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y., "you know we were having a bad offensive game."

            With college athletics currently shuttered as the nation grapples with a frightening global pandemic, we turn back to a week when a team turned a corner. And while that result mattered then, it's also a window into a developing mindset that informs its subjects even now. Today these men are husbands, sons and fathers, men who are helping to guide their own families in these challenging times. This is a glimpse at one game and the value that period still has for those who took part in it.
 
           
            The 2004-05 season began with a sense of expectation that was hard to escape. After five consecutive trips to the National Invitation Tournament – three under head coach Jay Wright – there was a sense that was much was on the line for a Wildcats group that arrived in 2002 amid considerable fanfare.

            "After our first two years," says Randy Foye, who would go on to become a 2006 All-American and later enjoy a long career in the National Basketball Association, "it felt like we were letting people down."

            Villanova had endured more than its share of valleys over the previous two seasons as the nation's No. 2 recruiting class – headlined by Foye, Jason Fraser, Curtis Sumpter, and Allan Ray – worked to gain a foothold in a rugged BIG EAST. The Wildcats had entered the 2004 BIG EAST Tournament with a 14-15 record before rallying to knock off Seton Hall and Providence to reach the semifinal. Had not the 'Cats scored those wins, a sub .500 record would have kept them out of the NIT.

            "On the inside, we didn't pay much attention to it," states Mike Nardi, then a sophomore guard and today a Wildcats' assistant coach. "But on the outside, people were saying (2004-05) was a make or break season."

            The highs and lows from 2002-04 were their own form of on the job training. On their own, however, they couldn't bridge the gap to the steps on the ladder the 'Cats were hoping to climb. To a man, those Wildcats understood the value of the toil they would need to put in during the offseason.

            "That summer," notes Nardi, "was big for us. There was a lot of hard work put in that helped set us up for the next year."

            The NCAA rules of the time did not permit on-court coaching during the summer class sessions of June, July and part of August (limited team workouts in the presence of coaches are now permissible). That left the day to day supervision of workouts to the team captains, Foye and Ray.

            The Wildcats' summer laboratory in those days was St. Mary's Gym on West Campus (the Davis Center would open in November 2007). It is an otherwise unremarkable building that includes a regulation basketball court which barely fit inside the ground floor space. To take two or three steps past a sideline or baseline on a refinished floor was to run directly into a concrete wall on which padding had only recently been hung. There was no air conditioning and the prevailing odor was of chlorine from a pool located one level below.

            No matter. The steamy conditions only reinforced the need to grind. They also tended to spice things up.

            "There were fights over things we normally didn't fight over," Foye recalls. "There was tension and even some face to face confrontations."

            Those months were also Villanova Basketball's formal introduction to its only incoming freshman, Kyle Lowry. The product of Cardinal Dougherty High School brought a competitive streak that added accelerant to the battles. Often, Wildcat standouts from the 1990s home for the summer from their careers in professional basketball – men like Jonathan Haynes, Alvin Williams and James Bryson – would take part in the open gym sessions.

            "A lot went on that summer," says forward Jason Fraser from his home in Arizona, where this week he's been monitoring the schoolwork of his children Blessing and Jason Jr. while wife Tay, a nurse, works on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic.

            "When those older guys came in, it was like 'let's see how tough you really are'. They had been where we wanted to go. I think we more than held our own."

            "We came out of it with an all-business attitude," added Foye.

 
            The 2004-05 regular season ultimately delivered on its promise. There was the breakthrough 83-62 victory over No. 2 Kansas on Jan. 22 that vaulted the Wildcats into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in the 2000s. In February, Villanova scored impressive Pavilion victories over BIG EAST powers Pittsburgh and Boston College. As Selection Sunday neared, the Wildcats, with a record of 22-7, were assured of receiving an at large-bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

            When the team and public gathered inside the Connelly Center that day, a sense of anticipation was apparent.

            "There was a feeling that this is what we had come here for," notes Foye.

            In a scene that has become familiar to the Nova Nation, the Wildcats were seated in front of a large screen. Cameras from local and national outlets were trained on them. When Villanova's name appeared as a No. 5 seed opposite New Mexico (26-6 overall), there was a loud roar. The Wildcats were headed to Nashville for their first NCAA Tournament action since a 1999 first round loss to Mississippi in Milwaukee.

            "We were excited when we saw our name come up," Foye says. "But we didn't spend a lot of time celebrating. We went to a room upstairs to meet with the coaches and from that point on, we were all business."

            Tracking down video of an unfamiliar opponent at that time wasn't as simple as the click on an icon. It took hours before the coaches would have a representative sample of tapes to review. In the meantime, Wright and his staff focused on what was known.

            "Coach reminded us that when you got to this part of the season, everybody was good," recalls Foye. "And we knew that New Mexico had Danny Granger."

            As a senior, Granger averaged 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Lobos. Further he was a projected first round pick in the 2005 National Basketball Association draft (he would be chosen 17^th overall by Indiana and go on to enjoy a 10-year career that included a 2009 turn as an All-Star).

            By the time Villanova gathered at the Pavilion for Monday's practice, the coaching staff – which included Brett Gunning, Fred Hill, Ed Pinckney and director of operations Patrick Chambers – had a firm handle on the Lobos. At the end of that day's session, Wright brought the team together around the V logo at mid-court.

            "It was a beautiful spring day," recalls Nardi. "Some of the doors were propped open. Coach pointed in the direction of the doors and reminded us that this is the time of the year players want to be playing. He told us that this was an opportunity we had earned."

            Sheridan recalls a confidence reinforced by a deep faith in the coaching staff.

            "We were really well prepared," he says. "Look at those coaches and where they are today. Coach has won two national championships. Brett Gunning is a rock star with the Houston Rockets. Fred Hill and Coach P have helped build a lot of great teams. Look at what Pat Chambers is doing at Penn State. My freshman year Billy Lange was with us. That's an amazing staff."

 
            Villanova departed campus on Tuesday afternoon, arriving in Nashville via commercial flight in the early evening. As the No. 5 seed in the Syracuse Region, it was assigned to the sprawling Opryland Hotel, located a 15-minute drive from downtown. Surrounded largely by patrons there to sample the city's rich history of country music, the anonymous Wildcats were able to zero in on the Lobos, winners of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

            "We had some intense practices," remembers Foye. "We watched a lot of tape on Danny Granger."

            At 6-4 Foye was a point guard by trade but the Wildcats' staff was unafraid to match him against taller and more muscular forwards. Early on, it was apparent that he would be one of the primary defenders tasked with slowing Granger. In the practices leading up to Friday's matinee, a series of his teammates took turns playing the role of Granger.

            "Chris Charles gave me an idea of the length Danny had," Foye says. "Kyle gave me a feel for his quickness, Allan his ability to make perimeter shots, Curt his all-around game. Danny was a great player but by the time we got to the game, I felt prepared to go against him."

            On Thursday, there were the NCAA mandated activities, including the public practice session and media sessions.

            "Just to get on the court and see all the March Madness branding was cool," says Nardi.

            Sheridan had agreed to do an NCAA Tournament diary with one of the team's beat writers at the time, Dana O'Neil, then of the Philadelphia Daily News. The native of Bear, Delaware had an interest in journalism and had debuted his 'Spoken Word' at Villanova a few months earlier.

            "I remember Coach talking with me about that," Sheridan recalls. "He asked, are you sure you want to do this? It just felt to me like he knew there was going to be a lot going on that week that none of us knew anything about and he wanted us to be cautious."

            On game day, the Wildcats were treated to another perk of life at the NCAA Tournament.

            "You get the police escort to the arena," notes Sheridan of the standard operating protocol that has the team bus accompanied by at least two local law enforcement vehicles with lights flashing.

            The game would be the second of the afternoon session at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, today known as Bridgestone Arena. The winner of the 5-12 matchup would face the winner of the 4-13 clash between Florida and Ohio University in Sunday's second round.

            Behind the Villanova bench, an enthusiastic section of Villanovans looked on while the Lobos faithful was across the floor from its team's bench. As the higher seed, the Wildcats understood that if the Lobos gained an early advantage, the non-Villanova crowd was likely to get behind the cause of the underdog.

            "At that moment, we had an opportunity to establish ourselves," states Fraser. "You can believe all you want, but if you're not in the title fight, it doesn't matter."

            The bell for Round 1 was about to sound.

 
            Were there nerves in the Nova locker room?

            "I would say there was a good kind of anxiety," Fraser says. "If you think about where we all came from, every one of us felt like we had something to prove. I'm from Long Island, which meant I had to prove myself every time we played a team from New York. Randy is from Newark and Mike is from Linden, N.J. Curt's from Brooklyn, A Ray the Bronx, Will from Delaware and Kyle from Philly.

            "We all had something to prove every time we went out there."

            Adds Sheridan: "In one sense I was naïve and in awe of it. But on the other hand, I think we all felt this is where we're supposed to be."

            From the opening tip, the Wildcats never allowed New Mexico to make itself comfortable. Nova's ability to switch and its tenacity kept the Lobos in check for the entire 20 minutes of the first half.

            "We were so excited to be out there playing someone other than a Big East team," Sheridan recalls. "We had been through so many battles that it felt great to be going against a different style. I'm not sure they'd seen the kind of defensive energy we brought."

            Years later, during their time in the NBA, Foye and Granger spent a day together at a broadcasting seminar. Eventually the conversation drifted back to the afternoon of March 18, 2005. Prideful men who have excelled in this realm aren't prone to hollow compliments but Foye hasn't forgotten what Granger had to say about the matchup.

            "He told me that it felt like we had eight guys out there," Foye recalls. "That's how fast it felt like we were playing."

            The 'Cats trotted off to the locker room with a 34-11 lead.

            The suffocating defensive effort did not come without a price however. All of that expended energy produced an uneven offensive effort. 3-pointers by Nardi and Foye gave the Wildcats a cushion but there was also a prevailing sense that the Lobos – and their star – were too gifted a scoring unit to meekly slide off into the Nashville late afternoon sunset.

            That vibe would prove to be prescient.

 
            The Wildcats offensive woes would only deepen. Villanova sank just three second half field goals in 23 attempts and committed 12 turnovers (20 total). What had been a 24-point lead shrank to single digits in the game's final minutes.

            "It was ugly," says Sheridan.

            But these also weren't unchartered waters for a group that had heard Wright repeat an expression he had borrowed from former NBA player, Jack Marin: "shoot em' up, sleep in the streets." In other words, the best players aren't afraid of the consequences if their shots don't fall.

            Villanova retained its balance, even as palms grew sweaty in the stands behind the team bench. Meanwhile, the remainder of the 17,081 perked up to see if the Lobos could write one of the NCAA Tournament's remarkable comeback stories.

            "We had been in a lot of those situations the year before," says Foye. "In our sophomore year, we had a lot of leads of six or eight points over good teams and wound up losing them by two or three points. But we had learned from those."

            In Foye's estimation, it also helped that their head coach kept his cool even as the turnovers and missed shot attempts mounted.

            "Coach brought us over and told us all to take a deep breath," he explains. "It was his first NCAA game with us, but he helped us stay calm. We just needed to play for each other and our coaches. We'd live with whatever happened."

            Adds Sheridan: "This is the same Coach who stood motionless when his team sank a game-winning 3-pointer to win a national championship (in 2016). He always taught us that we're working to develop habits that we could rely on in the most difficult situations. I don't remember every word he said that day, but we were ready to handle it because we had practiced that way every day we were at Nova."

            At key moments, Lowry and Ray sank clutch free throws. When the final horn sounded, Villanova had advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997.

            Its fans, both in Nashville and around the country, exhaled.

            There wasn't much time to celebrate.

            "We were pretty excited in the tunnel walking back to the locker room," Foye says. "Then we did the media interviews, got on the bus, went back to the hotel and spent some time with our families. But we all had our eyes on the Florida game."

            The Gators would advance to a Sunday matinee, this time against the Wildcats. That game would prove to be a more notable victory as the Wildcats overcame the loss of Sumpter to a devastating knee injury to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons. There they would battle eventual champion North Carolina to the wire in a contest that turned on a traveling call on Ray. The Tar Heels won 67-66.

            "One thing that helped us in the NCAA Tournament games is that we had all come up through the AAU culture," Fraser states. "In AAU, you might have a few hours between games, if that. We knew how to move past one game and start preparing for the next."

            The Wildcats would go 5-2 in such games from 2005-06, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in '06 before being eliminated by that same Florida team, this time led by future NBA players Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

 
            If the victory over New Mexico was less than an artistic masterpiece – "ugly" was the preferred adjective of more than one who played in it – it was in the big picture, something much more.

            It was, first and foremost, validation.

            The Wildcats were greeted as heroes upon their return that Sunday night and the days leading up to the Wednesday departure for Syracuse – which would turn into a nearly eight-hour bus sojourn in a snowstorm – were joyful.

            "Our first two years weren't always easy," noted Foye. "I think we all worked hard to connect to people to let them see we were good guys and not entitled because we were the No. 1 recruiting class."

            Fraser recalls a professor stopping class to lead a round of applause for the basketball team members present. There were similar impromptu outpourings of affection in dining halls and in lecture halls.

            "Looking back, I appreciate what people didn't say in those first two years," Fraser states. "People on campus could have been all over us. We had come in with so much hope and it took a lot longer than any of us expected.

            "When we got back from Nashville, it was special. It felt like we had all done something together – students, faculty, staff, alumni."

            That first NCAA Friday offered other hints of what was to come.

            For starters, defense is often the difference at the elite levels of college basketball.

            "In our first two years, Coach (Wright) would bring us into a film session and show us clips of UConn and other great teams," Fraser states. "He'd ask us – what was the key play here? It took a lot of those sessions before someone finally said – they got three or four stops in a row late in the game. Once we understood how important defensive execution was, we were on our way."

            What also was on display that day was an approach that differed from what had served as conventional strategic wisdom to that point at the college level. Villanova was in the early stages of becoming an interchangeable unit, with players capable of defending multiple positions. Foye matching up against a player five inches taller than him would become the norm months later, when the 6-7 Sumpter suffered a second knee injury that sidelined him for all of 2005-06.

            The box-score offers some other hints of that approach.

            Twenty-nine of Villanova's 53 field goal attempts came from beyond the 3-point arc. They drained only eight and were 0-of-10 from distance in the second half. Two of the 'Cats top three scorers that season, Ray and Sumpter, were a combined 2-of-22 from the field. Yet Villanova prevailed.

            "We were unselfish," notes Foye. "If I didn't have it going or Al didn't, we knew we had guys like Nardi and Kyle who were just as capable of getting it going. Jason had the big game against Florida after Curt went down. We had weapons."

            Nardi's 15 points were pivotal that day.

            Sheridan offered another observation.

            "Coach Wright instills a lot of trust in you," he says. "For all of the mistakes we made, he trusted us to make the right play."

            On that first Friday of NCAA Tournament play in the 21^st century, Villanova made just enough of them.

            In the immediate aftermath of that win, no one felt as though they had witnessed history. Indeed, in his remarks at the press conference Wright said: "The best thing we can say is survive and advance."

            The Associated Press account of the contest includes this line in the second paragraph: "After trapping and pressing with relentless fury in the first half, Villanova fell apart in the second."

            Fifteen years later, however, that fitful Friday lingers as a significant first step on what has morphed into an journey that has delivered not just two NCAA national titles, but multiple BIG EAST crowns and continued national prominence.

            "I think all of us take pride in having been part of the start of something special," Foye states. "Villanova had a lot of great tradition before we got there, but we helped establish what this era of Villanova Basketball was going to look like. The New Mexico game wasn't pretty, but it was our kind of game because we played hard, smart and together. And we got the W."