The Villanova quartet reunited with Knicks didn’t lose much in college, but it did lose twice to Wisconsin teams in 2017

A big trade Tuesday brought Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, reuniting him with three teammates from the 2016-17 Villanova team that went 32-4.

Two of those losses came to Wisconsin and Marquette, including the 65-62 upset to the Badgers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the country during both losses.

Luke Fischer (40) and Katin Reinhardt (22) of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate an upset victory over the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center on January 24, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The four Knicks — Bridges, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo — played together in 2015-16 as well, though DiVincenzo broke his foot and played only nine games, receiving a medical redshirt. Villanova went on to win the national title, with Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater defeating North Carolina, 77-74.

DiVincenzo, of course, became the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round draft pick in 2018 and played a role on the team that won the 2021 NBA championship, though a first-round injury sidelined him for the later stages of the postseason run.

The Knicks’ Villanova connection last season with Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo was oft-cited as they won 50 games for the first time in over a decade and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals for a second straight year.

Marquette Golden Eagles players celebrate with fans after their game against the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Golden Eagles won 74-72.

With all four healthy in 2016-17, Villanova had only lost once coming into Milwaukee on Jan. 24, 2017, when Marquette took down the Wildcats in a thriller at the electrified Bradley Center, 74-72. Katin Reinhardt scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half to push the Golden Eagles over the top.

Reinhardt made two free throws with 11.2 seconds left to account for the winning points, and Brunson missed a runner to tie. Fans stormed the court.

It was the second time MU had beaten an AP No. 1 team in 12 tries, joining…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/villanova-quartet-reunited-knicks-didnt-162321850.html

Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-06-26 16:23:21

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