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By SCOTT CARTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 23, 2008

TAMPA - It's a good thing for Villanova that Coach Jay Wright isn't in charge of packing the team's uniforms for road trips. If so, the Wildcats would have needed the help of Federal Express on Saturday.

After the No. 12 seed Wildcats (21-12) clawed back from an 18-point deficit to send No. 5 seed Clemson home in Friday's first round, someone pointed out to Wright that Villanova, after wearing its dark blue road uniforms as the lower-seeded team against Clemson, would be wearing its home whites today against No. 13 seed Siena (23-10).

"I hope we brought our home uniforms," Wright said. "I never thought to ask. I wouldn't have brought them."

Prior to practicing Saturday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum, Wright said he owed the team's equipment staff an apology. They evidently were more prepared than Wright was for the madness that took place Friday, leaving Villanova as the marquee program left in Tampa.

You can't blame Wright for not expecting the unexpected.

A week ago today, Villanova players and coaches gathered on campus to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show, unsure of their postseason destination. They left in a jovial mood after learning they earned perhaps the tournament's final at-large berth.

Now that they have crashed the party for real, the Wildcats seek to have as much fun as they can and play this Cinderella role to the tilt.

"This is what I've been dreaming about all my life," said freshman guard Corey Fisher, who came off the bench to score 17 points in Friday's surprise win. "I didn't really think it was an upset. When I was younger, I remember watching college basketball games and their upsets."

Once the Wildcats were knocked out of the Big East Tournament by Georgetown in the quarterfinals, the popular phrase around campus was "Wait 'til next year." With no seniors on the roster, most expected the Wildcats to be in a rebuilding mode this season, and at times - most notably a late-season five-game losing streak - it appeared that way.

But Wright has a different vision, especially with a Sweet 16 berth on the line today.

"We're just a team that's scrapped and scrambled to get into this thing," Wright said Saturday. "You've got to convince everybody that you can do something with this. That's our challenge."

Two years ago, Villanova entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed before losing to eventual national champion Florida in the region final. Now the Wildcats are considered an underdog on the rise, a new role for players like junior forwards Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson, both of whom were on the 2006 team.

Despite a sudden boost in stature, the Wildcats aren't buying into the theory they are now a favorite because of the program's past success in the NCAA Tournament.

"There's a lot of confusion because of the number that's in front of your team's name," Anderson said. "Siena and ourselves, we were both underdogs coming into the tournament, and we're still going to have the same approach. We're going to be underdogs for the rest of the tournament."

At least the Wildcats get to wear their home uniforms.

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088

or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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