Let us never again question if Jay Wright and Villanova can win the big one

HOUSTON -- Hours before Villanova's thrilling, wild, historically great championship game win over North Carolina on Monday, a few 'Nova alums were grabbing a bite outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown Houston. They drank margaritas and ate Mexican food, unaware of what was coming in a few hours, while still reflecting on what had happened two nights before.

They talked about that blowout win over Oklahoma.

Even 36 hours after it happened, they weren't totally sure how to process it.  

"We didn't know what to do after the game," one 'Nova fan said, when asked how he and his friends celebrated on Saturday night. "We never win games like that."

It's safe to say that no 'Nova fan will ever complain about winning the big one again, although in the fan's defense, he was also right. Right up until the second Kris Jenkins' wild, buzzer-beating three swished through the net at NRG Stadium, 'Nova really never did win games like this.

It had led to 'Nova getting a pretty universal reputation across college basketball: They were the quintessential team that could win big against inferior competition in the regular season, but would clamp up when the competition got tougher in March. Jay Wright was the good coach who could never get his team to achieve true greatness. And to be honest, that reputation was somewhat fair after Villanova lost on the opening weekend as a two-seed and then a one-seed the last two years. It's also what happens when maybe Wright's best team period -- a 30-win club in 2006 -- didn't even make the Final Four.

But for whatever Villanova's reputation was, Wright and the Wildcats squashed it on Monday night. Heck, they didn't squash it, they threw gasoline on it, lit a fire and watched it burn to the ground. After a thrilling tournament run that included a win over No. 1 overall seed Kansas, a complete psychological deconstruction of National Player of the Year Buddy Hield, and a title game win over blue blood UNC, no one can ever again say that Villanova can't win the big one.

It's the same for Wright. The guy who was once known more for the suits he wore on the sideline than for his X's and O's acumen just outcoached Roy Williams and Bill Self on the way to a national championship. The guy whose team never came through when it mattered most now has the same number of titles as Self, John Calipari and Tom Izzo. If Wright isn't in the absolute upper-echelon of college basketball coaches, he's pretty darn close. 

And it's all fitting really, especially when you consider Wright's ties to the school.

Remember, this wasn't just a national championship, but it was a national championship for a coach who has spent a good portion of his adult life at Villanova. He's not a job-hopper or a ladder-climber, but a guy who was given his dream job at 39 years old and still hasn't left 15 years later. Add in the time he spent as an assistant at the school and Wright has spent 20 of his 33 years as an adult on 'Nova's campus.

So yeah, this is a big deal for Wright, made even bigger by the magnitude of the moment. A 'Nova guy winning a title for his school is a great story, but then to win with a buzzer-beater in front of 74,000 (including thousands of 'Nova fans who made the trek down) is even more incredible. The fact that his mentor, former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino, was at the title game Monday night made it even more fitting.

Frankly, it seems like it was destiny, almost pre-determined, even if that was the furthest thing from Wright's mind when the buzzer sounded.

He was just worried there'd be another play. 

"I was really thinking, 'Is there going to be more time on the clock?'" Wright said about his reaction after the final shot. "I'm the adult. I got all these 18- and 22-year-olds around me. They're going to go crazy, and I'm going to have to get them gathered up here and we're going to have to defend a play with 0.7 seconds."

Well as it turns out, there was no last play to defend, just an endless celebration to begin.

And the best part for 'Nova fans is that it's a celebration that could continue well beyond this season.

Jay Wright with Rollie Massimino.

Sure the Wildcats lose Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, but unlike so many other college basketball title winners, they should actually return most of their team intact in 2016. Villanova's leading scorer Josh Hart is expected to return, as is starting guard Jalen Brunson, and yes, the man of the hour Kris Jenkins as well. A strong recruiting class should again make them the Big East favorites. Meaning that with the system in place and a group of players who buy into it, there's no reason to think that the Wildcats can't keep winning and winning for a long time. Villanova didn't just have a good team this season. With at least 29 wins the last three seasons, they've now built a great program.

It's a program that seems primed to remain a fixture atop the polls just as long as Wright is there, although frankly, those are conversations to be had another day.

It's time to focus on the present.

And in the present, here are the new realities of Villanova basketball: They're a team that will never again be labeled as "unable to win the big one." Jay Wright will never again be labeled as the guy who is good, but not quite great.

Instead, thanks to Monday night's win, they'll call Wright and Villanova something entirely different together.

They'll call them national champions. 

Aaron Torres is a contributor for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or Facebook. E-mail him at ATorres00@gmail.com.