Classes canceled at Villanova after championship victory

Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Villanova closed Tuesday after win, celebration
Villanova closed Tuesday after win, celebration. Trish Hartman reports during Action News Mornings on April 3, 2018.

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Winning another national championship means no classes at Villanova.

Villanova University and Villanova Law are closed Tuesday after the men's basketball team won their second NCAA Championship in three years Monday night.

The Wildcats defeated Michigan 79-62.

As soon as the game finished, fans streamed out from the campus, cheering and chanting.

Villanova fans celebrate after the Wildcats win their second National CHampionship in three years.

Police say the celebration on Lancaster Avenue which went well into the early morning hours was mostly orderly, but there were two arrests.

Police say the two arrests were for a minor assault and underage drinking.

Students, alums, fans could not contain themselves after the Wildcats' victory.

"We're freshmen! This was the most incredible best feeling in the world," one student said.

It was the best feeling in the world for many people in the sea of Villanova fans.

"It's actually really nice that Villanova set up the Connelly Center so we could celebrate everything. It's been a lot of fun," a student said.

But with the celebration came some problems.

Hundreds of Villanova fans rushed off campus and onto Lancaster Avenue to celebrate championship win.

A street sign was ripped from the ground and floated through the crowd.

The view from Chopper 6 showed a bonfire that burned at Lancaster and Ithan Avenues with fans celebrating around it.

Officers on motorcycles came through to disperse the crowd.

Police greased poles before the game, but at least one reveler still managed to climb all the way up to the street sign.

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Fans cheer on the campus of Villanova University after the NCAA college basketball national championship game between Villanova and Michigan, April 2, 2018, in Villanova, Pa.
AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson

Officials say more than 400 police officers, along with the FBI and township employees helped to monitor the celebration.

"We've had the five county regional task force here, representation from Delaware County MERT, Montgomery County MERT, Philadelphia MERT, which is a mass incident response team, to help us with the celebratory people out there causing problems but doing it in a nice and orderly way," Sgt. George Smith of the Radnor Township Community Emergency Response Team said.

Everyone is now looking forward to celebrating with a parade, but there is no word yet when that will happen.

The team is expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon.

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