The New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade on Tuesday night, acquiring star forward Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets for a deal highlighted by five first-round picks.
The trade, in essence, makes the Knicks the Villanova Wildcats of the NBA. The team is now led by former Villanova stars Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
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The reaction to the trade on X mostly revolved around the Knicks ‘recreating Villanova’s 2016 national championship-winning team.’ Many point to that title win as the last time these four players shared a court.
But that is not the case.
The Knicks’ blockbuster trade actually recreated the 2016-17 Villanova Wildcats team that was a No. 1 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but lost 65-62 to the Wisconsin Badgers.
That day saw Nigel Hayes lead the 8-seed Badgers with 19 points, 8 rebounds and the game’s deciding basket:
Down go the defending champs 😤#OTD in 2017, Nigel Hayes' late basket helped Wisconsin upset No. 1️⃣ Villanova.@NIGEL_HAYES x @BadgerMBB pic.twitter.com/zI8MLq9Vi9
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 18, 2024
He was guarded by Villanova’s Mikal Bridges, the newest member of the New York Knicks.
Wisconsin handed Villanova its only NCAA Tournament loss in a three-year period, as the Wildcats went on to win the national championship again in 2018. Another note: this game punched the Badgers’ ticket to the Sweet Sixteen, a round the program has been unable to reach since that date.
Here is a full look back at Wisconsin’s big win over the Wildcats — or, now the Knicks: