Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono drives his hometown team

Villanova had a shot to take down second-ranked Kansas, and coach Jay Wright designed the play for the kid who hadn’t made a bucket all game because Ryan Arcidiacono was fearless. Not about taking the shot, but about not making it.

“If Arch misses and we lose this game to Kansas, it will not affect Arch at all,” Wright said. “Some of these other young guys, if they miss it, it could crush them for the season.”

Arcidiacono broke free from then-freshman guard Frank Mason and didn’t miss. The shot with 10 seconds to play proved to be the game-winner in a 63-59 victory in 2013 in the Bahamas. Arcidiacono, now a senior guard, gets another opportunity to defeat the Jayhawks for higher stakes.

The top two seeds in the South Region battle Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. Tipoff will be around 7:49 p.m.

Arcidiacono isn’t Villanova’s scoring leader this season. Josh Hart is, with 15.4 points per game. Arcidiacono is not the Wildcats’ top three-point shooter, although he is one of four players in the starting lineup hitting at least 36 percent.

But Arcidiacono, who turns 22 on Saturday, may be the most indispensable player and is the tone-setter for a team that’s playing as well as any in the tournament.

The Wildcats’ average victory margin in three NCAA Tournament wins is 22 points. In Thursday’s Sweet 16 victory over Miami, Fla., Villanova scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed.

Arcidiacono scored 13 of the Wildcats’ first 22 and made a pest of himself on defense.

Villanova fans take special delight in Arcidiacono’s accomplishments, and for good reason. He’s a Langhorne, Pa., native, whose parents attended Villanova. His mother lived in the same hall as Wright’s future wife.

“We have a lot of connections,” Arcidiacono said. “I don’t think I dress as well as him or anything. I think (when) I’m on the court that’s the way he wants a Villanova basketball player to be.”

Arcidiacono, who answers to “Arch” and “Archie,” is all in on his school.

“The kid grew up watching Villanova basketball,” Wright said. “Him putting on a Villanova jersey is like a kid at Alabama putting on an Alabama football jersey. He just lives it.”

He was asked what moment on the court gives him the most pleasure. Remember, Arcidiacono is shooting 65.4 percent on all shots and 62.5 percent on threes during the tournament. His response would make any coach beam.

“Taking a charge,” he said. “It’s one of the better things I do on the floor. It’s the mind-set that the other team isn’t going to get an easy basket. They’re not going to be able to dunk or finish an easy layup. They have to go through a couple of bodies.”

That happened early in the victory over Miami, and Villanova established that the Hurricanes weren’t going to get anything easy off penetration. When Miami closed the gap in the first half it was on the strength on three-point shooting. Usually, that skill is unsustainable, although Villanova hasn’t cooled off during the postseason.

Arcidiacono will likely see plenty of Mason, who also takes pride in his toughness, and he has a long memory.

On the play in the Bahamas, Arcidiacono was Mason’s responsibility. Instead, Mason helped out on another Wildcats player, giving Arcidiacono just enough time to break free and drain the shot.

“I made a mistake and let him hit the three to go up,” Mason said. “I kind of lost him.”

Kansas has played superb defense through its postseason run, and now it faces the hottest shooting team in the tournament. Arcidiacono doesn’t expect to cool off.

“I’ve been shooting the ball really well,” he said. “I think we’re sharing the ball, taking the right shot and that’s given us the ability to shoot at a high percentage.”

If it’s enough to beat Kansas, Villanova will have pleased its biggest fan: Arcidiacono.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono drives his hometown team."