Ohio State meets Villanova in Pittsburgh with Sweet 16 berth on the line

After two victories at the outset of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Chris Holtmann and his Butler players were on their way to the school’s first Sweet 16 berth in six years.

His phone was buzzing, as victors’ phones often do after a big win. A text message caught his eye — a long one — but he stopped to read it, anyway.

It was from Big East coaching rival Jay Wright, whose Villanova team (the defending national champion at the time) had lost twice to Butler during the season.

“He sent me a really long, nice text, just basically said, ‘Hey, be Chris.’ Those moments stick out,” Holtmann said Saturday. “He didn’t have to do that.”

Another Sweet 16 berth will be at stake Sunday in the second round of the tournament at PPG Paints Arena when Wright and Villanova (27-7) meet Ohio State (20-11), now coached by Holtmann.

While chatting with reporters, Holtmann expressed his “tremendous respect” for Wright.

“He was, really, in our league — in the Big East right now, or when I was in the league and I’m sure it’s the same — he’s kind of the statesman of the league. Everything kind of goes as he leads. But he’s also got a great humility in how he is as a person and as a coach.”

Holtmann respects Wright so much that he has stolen from him.

“He has no idea because I didn’t tell him,” he said. “I just watched his practices, watched his teams, anything that he was doing in terms of teaching I would watch.

“I, even to this day, I have stolen a lot from him. So, thanks, Jay.”

Told of the thievery going on behind his back, Wright didn’t appear offended or violated.

“I’ve stolen a lot of things from a lot of people,” he said.

The second round of the tournament has special meaning for both coaches.

• For Holtmann, a victory would hand Ohio State its first Sweet 16 berth since 2013.

• For Wright, the second round has been a deflating, season-ending loss (four times) or a springboard to its two national championships in six of the past seven tournaments. Wright has experienced both emotions in his two previous NCAA trips to Pittsburgh.

• In 2015, when the venue was called Consol Energy Center, Villanova lost to N.C. State, 71-68, as a No. 1 seed.

• In 2018, after it became PPG Paints Arena, the Wildcats pounded Alabama, 81-58, and ended up winning all six tournament games by an average margin of 16 points.

Two reserves on Villanova’s ‘18 team are back this year, Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels. Gillespie leads the team in scoring (15.9 points per game), and Samuels is third (10.4).

A week ago, Samuels suffered from back spasms so severe he managed only seven points in a Big East Tournament victory against St. John’s. The next night, he had 21 points and 12 rebounds against UConn.

Wright never thought Samuels would play against UConn.

“Once we got our chiropractor and our team masseuse with him, I thought by NCAA Tournament team he’d be OK. I never thought he’d be able to play in the Big East like he did,” Wright said.

Gillespie wasn’t surprised, though.

“I mean, he played last year with a broken pinky the entire year, and the year before he had a foot issue that he was dealing with,” he said. “He’ll do whatever it takes to be out there with his teammates and his coaches, and he’ll give his body up for us.”

Friday night against Delaware, Samuels showed no ill effects from the back spasms while chasing a loose ball near the Villanova bench. There were two minutes left in the game, and Villanova was up by 19.

Samuels hurtled toward the bench where assistant coach Dwayne Anderson stood up to break his fall, catching an elbow to the nose for his trouble.

“We’re checking him (for a concussion), but we think he’s pretty good,” Wright said. “Nose does not look good, but his wife is a doctor. She says if it’s broken, it’s broken.”

Later, Samuels was asked why he didn’t just let the ball bounce out of bounds, especially at that point in the game.

“That’s not what we do here at Villanova,” he said.

Anderson, who was Villanova’s leading scorer in its Elite 8 victory against Pitt in 2009, is expected back on the bench Sunday.

“He’s a tough dude,” Gillespie said. “So, like he said, he played in the old Big East, so he’s fine.”