Relief in Sight for 'Nova

Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2006 | by Bob Ford

An emotional weekend of incredible highs and lows for Villanova University basketball ended with a ringing note yesterday evening on the team's cozy Main Line home court.

It was the last note of the school fight song, and it finally faded among the wooden rafters of the Pavilion, leaving only a serenade of cheers from fans and family for the Wildcats.

Part of the celebration was for something that had been expected, but a large part was for something that had left everyone not knowing what to expect. Villanova, it was announced last night, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and will begin play Friday at the Wachovia Center.

That was the expected part when the national broadcast was beamed live into the Pavilion on a big-screen television. It is the...