Virginia Cavaliers at Villanova Wildcats

No. 1 Villanova turns back Virginia as put-back tip beats buzzer

"I was like, 'Wait a minute, I thought I missed it,'" Hart said.

He did miss the potential winner. But in an engrossing game stuffed with a March Madness feel, it seemed fitting that Villanova again won at the buzzer.

Donte DiVincenzo beat the horn on a timely tip-in for his only basket of the game to lead No. 1 Villanova to a 61-59 win over No. 12 Virginia on Sunday.

"I wasn't worried about that," DiVincenzo said. "If it didn't go in, we had overtime. If it did go in, great."

The Wildcats (20-2) stumbled through their worst half of the season before they found their 3-point groove to fuel a second-half rally. Down 12 points with 10 minutes left, the Wildcats had the ball with 11.5 seconds left and the game tied. Hart drove the lane and missed his layup. DiVincenzo zipped down the baseline and tipped the ball in with his outstretched right hand just as the horn sounded.

After a brief review, the basket stood, and the Wildcats mobbed each other at center court.

Hart realized then who made the winner.

"I saw everyone running to 'Te. I just started running to 'Te too," Hart said.

Virginia coach Tony Bennett watched stone-faced, arms folded and in stunned disbelief.

"Who tipped it in?" Bennett asked.

Just a player Wright once dubbed the Michael Jordan of Delaware.

DiVincenzo was left unguarded, with the Cavaliers seemingly sure Hart's miss would send the game to OT.

"I wish we would have checked him off, and we would have been playing right now," Bennett said.

Virginia brought a nice chunk of fans to the NBA's Wells Fargo Center, and the crowd of 20,907 was the largest ever to see a college basketball game in Pennsylvania.

Did it feel like March?

"Hell, yeah," Wright said.

The national champion Wildcats feel like they're ready for April and bolstered their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats came off a loss at Marquette and avoided their first two-game losing streak in four years.

Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each scored 15 points for the Wildcats. Ty Jerome led Virginia (16-4) with 15 points in an ACC-Big East matchup that had a March Madness feel from the opening tip.

The Wildcats played nothing like Big East beasts for most of the first 30 minutes.

Hart made his first basket of the game with 7:52 left on a 3-pointer that cut it to 49-42. DiVincenzo came up with a steal and fed to Kris Jenkins, who buried a 3 for his first bucket of the game and pulled the Wildcats within four.

Jenkins' 3s helped make the difference.

"You know eventually he's going to get one," Wright said. "And when he gets one, it's going to come again."

Jerome made three 3s that stretched the lead to double digits and had the "Hoos" drowning out boos inside a packed Wells Fargo Center. Jenkins, who won the national championship with a buzzer-beating 3 against North Carolina, missed all seven of his shots (six 3s) in the Marquette loss. The Cavaliers shot 46 percent overall yet could not stay out of foul trouble. The Wildcats made 13 of 14 free throws (Virginia was 3-for-3) that kept the halftime deficit to just 31-22.

THE BIG PICTURE

Virginia: The Cavaliers snapped a five-game win streak and have never beaten a top-ranked team on the road.

Villanova: The Wildcats might not stay at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 because of the loss at Marquette, but they won't drop more than a spot or two. ... Led by Jenkins and Hart, Villanova's senior class has never lost two straight games.

BUILDING BRIDGES

Bridges made six of nine shots, hit three 3s and kept the Wildcats in the game while their stars struggled.

"He was awesome," Wright said. "We didn't really run anything for him."

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers head home to play Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

The Wildcats play Wednesday at Providence. The Wildcats have a 46-18 career record against the Friars.

How can I watch Virginia vs. Villanova?

• TV Channel: Virginia at Villanova 2021 College Basketball, week 12, is broadcasted on FOX.
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