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All good things must come to an end, and we must now say goodbye to some of the most iconic faces of the Villanova Wildcats basketball team. Kevin Rafferty, and especially Henry Lowe and Patrick Farrell, have been great servants to the program and have given us both joy and and laughter over the past several seasons.
I couldn't possibly begin to do these three justice, so let me just say it was always a hoot watching you guys. Thank you, and God bless. Now on to the #analysis.
What we expected
Over the past couple of seasons, we've watched the #BenchMob go from a band of feral beasts doing this kind of stuff:
To a group of hardened leaders being constantly praised by Jay Wright for their dedication to teaching the younger classes the program's culture. They're the unsung heroes so to speak, and we're quite happy to have gone on such a dominating stretch of seasons that they didn't need to make GIF-worthy plays anymore.
Vote from Wisdom of Crowds
In another change from previous seasons, we decided to hold a vote to predict how many points the three walk-ons would total this season. With another good team on deck, it was clear they were going to receive several opportunities to get on the board.
The #BenchMob got into 15 games (16 for Farrell) this season, which tied last season's mark. VU Hoops was split on the vote, but the majority thought the unit would score between 9-12 points this season.
Season Actuals
| Mobster | MPG | FGM | FGA | FTM | FTA | 3PM | 3PA | PTS | OFFR | DEFR | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Farrell | 1.9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Rafferty | 1.9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry Lowe | 1.7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
We nailed it you guys! Thanks to Swaggy P's team-leading 40% mark from downtown and Rafferty's dirty work inside the #BenchMob recorded 10 points on the season. And don't sweat it Hank, those missed free throws didn't matter after-all (to our prediction, anyways).
Best Game
I almost went with the home win over Xavier, because Farrell dropping a late 3 on them to twist the knife was just too good at the time, but how can that beat a walk-on getting on the score sheet in the NCAA Tournament? That's exactly what Pat Farrell did in the win over UNC-Asheville when he dropped a trey from the corner.
Worst Game
Hard to ever be mad at these guys so we're being picky here, but these dudes got a good 3 minutes run in the Final freaking Four, and couldn't get one to go home (Hank I may never let this one go). They didn't even get a shot up. How that happens is beyond me (you are so selfish Mikal Bridges!), but at least Farrell made sure he got in the box score with Lowe by hacking a Sooner.
***
What is dead may never die...but rises again harder and stronger. Long live #BenchMob (nice try Monmouth, you posers)! And remember, we still get Henry Lowe next season on the staff!