To appreciate the depth of Jay Wright's accomplishment this season, first consider this:

Villanova lost its point guard, Maalik Wayns, as an early entrant to the NBA, after a 13-win season overall, with five wins in the Big East.

Wayns' replacement, true freshman Ryan Arcidiacono, will never play in the NBA; in fact, Arch, as he is called, missed his senior season at Neshaminy (Pa.) High last season due to back surgery, so playing in college never was a guarantee. And, while Arch might possess two percent of the team's cumulative athletic ability, he possesses about 50 percent of the team's cumulative basketball IQ.

Nevertheless, the chief marionette guided by Wright's masterful hand, Arch, as true freshman, led the Wildcats to a 20-win regular season, 10 Big East wins, a win in the Big East Tournament . . .

And, Sunday, a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed against No. 8 North Carolina. The Wildcats will play the Tar Heels at 7:20 p.m. EDT on Friday in Kansas City.

Wright was elected the country's best coach in 2006. Twice, he was deemed the conference's best coach. Before that, he took two Hofstra teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Wright, 51, in 18 seasons never coached better than he coached this season.

This team was picked to finish 12th by the conference's coaches.

And 12th might have been generous. Wright not only lost Wayns but also guard Dominic Cheek, his No. 2 scorer and his leading three-point shooter, who also declared early.

There are further considerations; further evidence of Wright's superb guidance.

Guard Darrun Hilliard, is, like Arch, a local kid, out of Liberty in Bethlehem. Like Arch, Hilliard, a sophomore, could have used a year of seasoning; like Arch, he had to play. Hilliard more than doubled his scoring output, to 11.2 points per game.

"Last year was a tough year, a disappointment. This is a good step in the right direction for this program. I had blind faith in coach Wright," Hilliard said. "He's done a phenomenal job. Pushing us every day in practice, not letting us slack off. Always being there to motivate us."

JayVaughn Pinkston, who claims the best name and is the best scorer, can be a free-throw magnet. Junior guard James Bell finally was sound for a full season. Junior transfer Tony Chennault, a Philadelphia Ss. Neumann-Goretti High product and a starter at Wake Forest last season, made the adjustment from ACC ball.

All have limitations. For instance, the Wildcats' best forward, beefy senior Mouphtaou Yarou, a native of Benin - well, he's a bit heavy-legged. But he developed a wonderful jump shot and, at 255 pounds, he gets in the paint and he can play.

They all can play. They all play hard. They play to their capacity.

If say, Syracuse - if Temple, for that matter - played like this, their NCAA seeding would be commensurate with their talent level.

La Salle, the city's most elegant team, earned a berth in the play-in game Wednesday as a No. 13 against Boise State. It's the Explorers' first appearance in the dance since 1992 after posting a second straight 20-win season.

Temple, the city's most talented team, teased its way into the tournament as a No. 9, matched against No. 8 North Carolina State, on the backs of good wins and really good players: Khalif Wyatt and enigmatic forward Scootie Randall.

Villanova, the city's most consistent team, elbowed its way into the tournament because it was just too gutsy to keep out.