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| FILE - I this Sunday, March 27, 2016, file photo, North Carolina's Nate Britt, right, and Villanova's Kris Jenkins celebrate after North Carolina won a regional final men's college basketball game against Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. North Carolina won 88-74 to advance to the Final Four. Jenkins and Britt, brothers in every way except blood, are giving each other the silent treatment for about 48 hours. |
HOUSTON
(AP) -- Kris Jenkins and Nate Britt, brothers in every way except
blood, are giving each other the silent treatment for about 48 hours.
Maybe
they will exchange a "good luck" or a fist bump before Jenkins and
Villanova (34-5) face Britt and North Carolina (33-6) on Monday night in
the NCAA Tournament championship game. Otherwise, "Nah," Jenkins said,
"no talking."
It's the biggest competition yet
between a couple guys who grew up trying to beat each other in
everything. While the Wildcats-Tar Heels matchup might be a no-lose
situation for the Britt family, for the players involved there will
definitely be only one winner.
"Whoever wins
the game, obviously the other one is going to be hurt and going to feel
bad," Britt said.
"That'll be permanent bragging rights for the rest of
our lives."
Jenkins and Britt met as
10-year-olds playing AAU basketball in the Washington D.C. area.
Eventually, Jenkins started playing for a team coached by Britt's father
and spending lots of time at the Britts' home - especially when
Jenkins' mother, Felicia, was spending almost all of her time at the
hospital with her ailing infant daughter. Kori was 11 months old when
she died.
When Felicia Jenkins, a former
college basketball player, got a job coaching at Benedict College in
Columbia, South Carolina, she felt it would be best for Kris to stay
with the Britts in Maryland permanently.
In 2007, the Britts became
Jenkins' legal guardians.
"It's been the greatest decision that's ever happened in my life," Jenkins said.
Villanova coach Jay Wright said Britt, not Jenkins, was his priority when he took a recruiting visit to the Britt home.
"We liked Kris, but we thought he's overweight and he's not going to do all the stuff we do," Wright said.
But
the 6-foot-6 Jenkins, who weighed as much as 280 pounds back in high
school, liked what he heard from Wright. He ended up committing to
Villanova, and dropping 40 pounds, and Britt chose North Carolina.
When
the Tar Heels and Wildcats played each other in the first round of the
2013 NCAA Tournament, Jenkins and Britt watched the game together,
rooting for their future schools - and not talking to each other. They
trash texted each other and didn't even sit on the same couch.
"That was fun," Britt said. North Carolina won 78-71.
The
Britts have spent the past few weeks bouncing around the country
watching their sons play. Last weekend, they managed to attend all four
Elite Eight games, two in Philadelphia (where North Carolina played) and
two in Louisville (were Villanova played). Jenkins even attended North
Carolina's East Regional championship victory against Notre Dame.
Nate
Britt, the 6-1 guard who averages 5.5 points off the bench, said he
does not know which section his parents and sister will be sitting
Monday night.
"I tried to ask them how they would remain neutral, what they would wear, but they didn't tell me," Britt said.
Jenkins,
second on Villanova in scoring (13.5 per game), remains close with his
birth parents. He says he has two families. And he roots for North
Carolina all the time. Well, almost.
"I do
hope he plays well," Jenkins said. "I hope he's injury free and things
like that. But there's nobody in the world I want to beat more than my
brother."
Some things to watch for when
Villanova plays North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh
time (the Tar Heels are 5-1).
---
TWO POINTS
Both
teams like to play with two point guards on the floor at once. For
Villanova, it's senior Ryan Arcidiacono and freshman Jalen Brunson. For
North Carolina, it's senior Marcus Paige and sophomore Joel Berry II.
"It's
always good to have multiple ball handlers and creators out there,"
Paige said. "You saw last night against the (Syracuse) zone, Joel was
able to penetrate the gaps and I was able to knock down some shots.
And
other nights I have a matchup where I can get in the paint and create
things. And Villanova does the same thing with Brunson and Arcidiacono."
---
HISTORY
Villanova's
only national championship was one of the most famous upsets in the
history of not just the NCAA Tournament, but in all of American sports.
The 1985 Wildcats upset Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in the final with a
near perfect performance.
"It's something we're always reminded of," Brunson said.
Wildcats coach Rollie Massimino, 81, told USA Today Sports that he planned to attend Monday night's game. He lives in Florida.
North
Carolina coach Roy Williams can make history by becoming the sixth
coach with at least three NCAA titles. He would match Bobby Knight and
Jim Calhoun with three, and surpass his mentor and former North Carolina
coach, the late Dean Smith.
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