Thousands of fans of the Villanova Wildcats came out to center city Philadelphia for a victory parade Friday, April 8 to celebrate the men’s basketball team’s national championship which they captured in dramatic fashion in Houston on April 4. Read more about the last-second heroics of the historic win — the first basketball championship for Villanova since 1985 — and more about the team here. (Photos by D’Mont Reese)

Thousands gather near Philadelphia City Hall April 8 to hear the victory speeches of Villanova players and coaches.
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A big-screen TV keeps fans at City Hall in view of the parade as it made its way with players on flat-bed trucks down Market Street in Philadelphia.
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Senior co-captain and center Daniel Ochefu speaks to the crowd with a souvenir of his own — the net that he and teammates cut down from the rim at Houston after winning the NCAA national men’s basketball championship with a last-second 77-74 victory over North Carolina. Villanova coach Jay Wright admires the crowd and savors the moment, at right.
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