Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Building each program’s Mount Rushmore

By Brian Foley

KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /
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VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Head coach Jay Wright and Jalen Brunson
VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Head coach Jay Wright and Jalen Brunson /

Mount Nova

Villanova Program History: 3 National Championships, 3 Final Fours, 8 Elite Eights, 6 Sweet 16’s

G Jalen Brunson (2015-18)
Stats: 14.4 points, 3.7 assists, 2.1 rebounds

Brunson never displayed the typical flash of a superstar player, but he has as many accolades on his shelf as nearly anyone in college basketball. After winning a National Championship and earning a spot on the Big East All-Freshman team as a key role player with the Wildcats in 2015-16, Brunson grabbed the reigns as a sophomore and a junior. Brunson – who is on pace to graduate from Villanova in three years – was named AP National Player of the Year in 2017-18, is a two-time all-Big East first-team player, and oh yeah, just won his second National Championship ring earlier this month. In his three seasons, Villanova never lost consecutive games and finished a remarkable 103-13.

G Josh Hart (2013-17)
Stats: 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals

Hart, along with Brunson, has been one of the premier pieces for the best run in Villanova history. Hart’s Wildcats lost just 17 total games in his four seasons, and won the Big East regular season title four consecutive times, the only school to ever accomplish such a feat in conference history. On top of his 2016 National Championship ring, Hart was also named a consensus first-team All-American, Big East Player of the Year, and the 2015 Big East Sixth Man of the Year.

HC Rollie Massimino (1973-92)
Record: 355-241 (.596 winning percentage), 11 NCAA Tournament appearances

Jay Wright has Villanova knocking on the door of the blue bloods with his recent string of success, but Massimino’s teams will always hold a special place in the hearts of Wildcats fans. His 1985 squad made a magical run to the NCAA title game, where eight-seeded Villanova completed one of the game’s biggest upsets over Ewing’s top-seeded Georgetown. Nova downed the Hoyas 66-64, and shot nearly 79% from the field to win the first National Championship in program history.

HC Jay Wright (2001-)
Record: 422-165 (.719 winning percentage), 13 NCAA Tournament appearances

Wright’s has grabbed headlines with Villanova’s recent run, but his entire body of work with the Wildcats is as impressive as nearly any head coach in the game. In 17 years, Wright has led Villanova to 12 NCAA Tournaments, 2 National Championships, 5 Big East regular season titles, 3 conference tournament titles, another Final Four, and 7 tournament appearances as either a No. 1 or 2 seed. He has turned Villanova into powerhouse program, and arguably the best basketball school over the past decade. If I’m running an NBA team (I’m not), and I have an open head coaching position, Wright would be my first call (looking at you, Milwaukee).

Next: Villanova crowned 2018 Champions

The Big East conferences continues to be one of the best in the country. This was a fun exercise to look back on some of the best figures in the program history of those teams currently in the league.

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