Kris Jenkins’ game-winning three-pointer for Villanova in the national championship game was a thing of beauty. But it wouldn’t have happened without two things: a smart play call from Villanova’s bench, and savvy adaption and execution by the Wildcats’ players. Here’s how the biggest shot in the recent history of college basketball (really, what could be bigger?) came about.
How Villanova set up Kris Jenkins to win the national championship
Jay Wright drew up exactly the right play, and the Wildcats executed it.
All of this ensues after Marcus Paige ties the game with a three-pointer, and Villanova calls a timeout, giving head coach Jay Wright time to plot out his team’s response.
The play starts with the Wildcats at their own baseline. Jenkins is inbounding to guard Ryan Arcidiacono, and 6’11 forward Daniel Ochefu is in the vicinity, too. There’s not much doubt what Ochefu wants to do.
The ball comes into Arcidiacono, and Ochefu is immediately in screening mode. His goal is to eliminate North Carolina guard Joel Berry, who’s guarding Arcidiacono.
When the ball comes in, Arcidiacono cuts toward the middle of the court. Ochefu is set up for a screen close to the left sideline, but Arcidiacono’s zag toward center court puts Ochefu a little bit out of position.
As Berry sprints after Arcidiacono, Ochefu decides to let the speedy defender through. Ochefu could’ve set a massive pick on Berry, but he’d have risked being called for a moving screen. So Berry chases down Arcidiacono, and Ochefu trips him just a little bit, but not enough to get called for it in such a critical spot.
Jenkins keeps sprinting up the court. Arcidiacono drops the ball off for him, and that’s curtains.
This is mostly a three-man play in the end, but Villanova also has guards Josh Hart and Phil Booth hanging out on the right wing. That’s good spacing, and it keeps North Carolina from loading its entire defense on Arcidiacono and Jenkins. The result is a wide-open look for Jenkins, and he doesn’t miss.
In a postgame press conference, Arcidiacono made it clear that he had options on the play. That means he could’ve shot, he could’ve hunted for a foul call, he could’ve passed to Hart or Booth or he could’ve made a hockey-style drop pass for Jenkins. He picked the latter.
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Arcidiacono said. “It’s not about me taking the shot. It’s about me making the right read, and I think I just did that.”
Here’s the diagram from our own Justin Bopp. ‘Nova fans: you can buy it!
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