SAN ANTONIO — They’d had little problem dismissing the first seven teams on the schedule, a collection of outmanned and undertalented pretenders. Those Villanova Wildcats of 2015-16 were trying to shake their label as perennial March chokers, but so far it was hard to dispute they were the kings of November and December.
Well, until Dec. 7, 2015, anyway.
Earlier that day, in Hickam, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, there had been a ceremony commemorating the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That ceremony had taken place at the USS Arizona Memorial.
A few hours later, in an especially made-for-the-occasion event, Villanova would have its first real test of the season, playing in a small gym at Joint Base Pearl Harbor. The Wildcats would put their No. 9 ranking and 7-0 record up against Oklahoma, 5-0 and ranked seventh.
