HOUSTON — Moments after surfacing from the bottom of the dog pile—the one that ensued after he nailed the most memorable buzzer-beater in NCAA title game history—Villanova's Kris Jenkins marched toward the sideline at NRG Stadium and absorbed the scene.
Security guards corralled a herd of students who'd leaped over a baseline guard rail to celebrate the Wildcats' 77-74 victory over North Carolina.
Ed Pinckney and Rollie Massimino, the player and coach who led Villanova to its last national championship in 1985, cheered from the bleachers. A few sections away, Jenkins' parents snaked through the stands to get closer to their son as he pounded his chest, raised his arms into the air and screamed.