<P> During Rollie Massimino's tenure, the Villanova Wildcats abandoned their traditional independent status by joining the newly formed Eastern Eight Conference in 1975 . In 1980, the' Cats moved into the new Big East Conference, along with Georgetown, St. John's, and Syracuse . The 1980s were the golden age of the Big East, highlighted by the 1985 NCAA Tournament, when Villanova, Georgetown, and St. John's reached the Final Four . </P> <P> Massimino's teams had tremendous success in the NCAA Tournament, usually in an underdog role . Coach Massimino led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament eleven times, winning in 1985 . His teams reached the Elite Eight five times in an eleven - year span: 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1988 . Coach Massimino's teams were well - prepared for the Tournament, always playing a difficult schedule, and playing tenacious defense . Massimino lost their opening game in the NCAA Tournament only once, to Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Jackson - led LSU in 1990 and he remarkably never lost to a lower seeded team . </P> <P> Massimino coached for 19 seasons at Villanova, compiling a record of 357--241 (. 596). In the NCAA Tournament, Massimino had a 20--10 record (. 667). </P> <P> Notable players from the Massimino era include Alex Bradley, Stewart Granger, Keith Herron, Dwayne McClain, Harold Jensen, Ed Pinckney, John Pinone, Harold Pressley, Rory Sparrow, and Doug West . </P>

When was the last time a 2 seed won the ncaa tournament