THEY HAVE lived and thrived among the beasts in the Big East, beaten their share of them over the last 4 years. Villanova basketball is alive and well these days, having created its niche even among college basketball's elite.
"Paving our way in the cement," as Dante Cunningham put it yesterday before the Wildcats began to prepare for their Sweet 16 matchup against Duke Thursday night.
A big win over UCLA over the weekend. A big game against Duke 2 days from now. If Villanova somehow makes it to the Final Four, the names in its wake will look like an inventory list for your local sports-apparel store. They will probably have to go through at least part of the Big East again, beat Pitt, go through Syracuse maybe, and maybe Louisville or UConn at the end, too.