Twas the Night Before The Holy War

The sentiment often gets thrown around the Big 5 that the four teams that annually match up against Villanova treat it like “their Super Bowl.”

We’ve seen Villanova lose to metrically inferior opponents in back-to-back years now — last season at the Liacouras and this season at the Palestra — both resulted in a dramatic court storming that would clearly signify these wins mean something to these teams.

The main reason for this is quite obvious, both to outsiders of the sport and diehards alike. Winning multiple National Championships is not so common around here, at least not in this millennium. Everybody wants their shot at the perennial champ — the rulers of sacred tradition who continuously trounce on their feeble counterparts vying for a claim to second place.

If you hadn’t heard, Philadelphia likes an underdog. And whether it be dog masks parading down Broad street or a statue dedicated to a fictitious Italian boxer, these fans tend to cherish their collective sense of being doubted, underappreciated, and most significantly, counted out.

Secondly, there’s a geographical debacle at play here. We’ve all heard the banter claiming Villanova is not a “city school.” They’re unique to this storied tradition in the sense not an inch of their campus resides on or even really near city lines. They’re in the so-called plush suburbs of the Main Line where the roses smell better and the victories taste even sweeter.

Regardless — there’s perhaps no better example for this recurring “Super Bowl’’ occasion than tomorrow night — The Holy War — where this time we get a mythological twist as Neptune grips his trident and readies his naval fleet to face Billyeous Langeous the Great and his Jesuit infantry. A battle of land, air, and sea. Hawk versus Cat.

A lopsided rivalry spanning generations — it is ironically the Wildcat that has reached unprecedented heights as the Hawk has yet to find its wings. In the last 12 matchups, Villanova is good for 11 wins. Not since Sirs Galloway and Aiken donned the crimson red have they emerged victorious in this once-great competition.

For a second there, it seemed Villanova was susceptible. Bruised by a stinging Quaker loss, it seemed their armor was a bit more penetrable than it’s been in recent years. It similarly seemed that a collection of highly-touted and highly-compensated transfers were having trouble deciphering the code, or the so-called Villanova way.

Those doubts or reasons to believe this Villanova year is a bust have certainly been quelled. Villanova entered the Battle for Atlantis (I think we’ve had enough Roman mythology jokes but it’s tempting here again) with a cloud of doubt surrounding them but emerged as a legitimate contender for the title. They’re right back where they want to be, safely in the top 25.

There’s nothing about this Villanova team that should make St. Joe’s exude any sort of over-confidence as opposed to other years. However, looking inward at its own roster, there is genuine reason to believe this team can win tomorrow night.

After losing a brutal home loss to a Texas A&M Commerce team that just last year turned into a Division 1 Program, Saint Joe’s took then #17 Kentucky to the wire in an overtime thriller fueled by high octane offense and less-than-stellar defense. They followed that up with a relatively comfortable win over Sacred Heart.

The key guys on the Hawks have a light so green you’d consider going double the speed limit.

It’s not a secret that Erik Reynolds will need to lead this charge, but he certainly will need others to deliver a very high percentage from beyond the arc. I’ve said before that it’s a common trope about unpredictable teams, but I really think St. Joe’s could lose to anyone or beat anyone in the country depending on how they shoot from three and how long it takes their offense to get into rhythm.

While on paper it’s Villanova and throw away the pen, these games aren’t played on scrolls.

Look for this one to be tight, because after all, the magic of the Big 5 is back and it’s cold and windy Wednesday nights like these that deliver those magic moments.