Anunoby effectively contained Tatum, while Bridges' defensive skills were on full display in the game's final moments. Bridges made a game-sealing defensive play by stealing the ball from Tatum in the closing seconds, marking the second consecutive game where he secured the victory with a last-second defensive stop.

It’s been an excellent week for Villanova University as a whole. The headline news is that the first American pope, Pope Leo XIV, is an alumnus of the University from the class of 1977. On a much more secondary note,

As essential as Jalen Brunson has been with the game on the line, Mikal Bridges has matched him — one stop at a time.