basketball-men-d1 flag

Courtney Martinez | NCAA.com | June 1, 2016

Villanova honored by President Obama at the White House

Coach Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats visited President Obama and the White House on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the team's 2016 national championship.

It is the first time a Villanova team has made a trip to the White House since the 1985 Wildcats were hosted by President Ronald Reagan.

"Coach Wright and this team treated us to as memorable run and as memorable championship game as I can remember," Obama said.

Villanova captured the 2016 title behind the heroics of Kris Jenkins, who nailed the game-winning shot over North Carolina at the buzzer.

"It might be maybe the best title game of all time. Just the last few seconds could be a documentary," Obama said. "That was a good shot. It was like a Christian Laettner shot. It was like a Jimmy V running up and down the court shot."

Representatives and former Villanova graduates were present during the ceremony, although Dr. Jill Biden couldn't make it Tuesday. But her husband Vice President Joe Biden still had some words to pass along:

"He wanted me to remind you that he picked Nova to win it all," Obama said. "This is the type of wise counsel that you are looking for from a vice president. Unfortunately I didn't follow his counsel and so my bracket was busted."

Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu presented Obama with a commemorative No. 44 jersey, which was worn by the team on Pearl Harbor Day back in December.

Check out the scenes from Villanova's trip to Washington D.C., the full championship celebration and some of the players' reactions.