Following Tuesday’s embarrassing blowout loss at home, the Timberwolves need some positivity heading into tonight’s Game 2. Chris Finch clearly stated that his squad was low on energy in the previous encounter, likely due to their shooting struggles. They shot 34 of 86 from the field. But things could change for the better tonight, as the Wolves’ sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo is in a great mood and highly motivated. All because of Villanova pride.

Yes, Chicago native Cardinal Robert Frances Prevost was just voted as the first pope from the USA, dawning the name Pope Leo XIV. Turns out, he is a Villanova University alum, who graduated with a math degree in 1977. Of course, Donte also attended the same college, representing the Wildcats from 2015-18. Although their paths never crossed, the Wolves star was ecstatic after Pope Leo XIV got voted in. As per veteran insider Dave McMenamin, Donte entered the locker room with a huge smile, flashing his fingers in a V sign, and said, “I’m having a great day!”

He even received a text from Coach Jay Wright in the Wildcats group chat. “Did you see it guys?!?! Nova pride!” The former Villanova men’s basketball head coach wrote. Obviously, Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges are also part of that group, who were teammates with DiVincenzo in college.

Even the current students and professors were filled with pride when the announcement was made. Per reports, the campus church bells rang for hours and the professors even raised a toast in Pope Leo XIV’s honor. “He has always been a very loyal Villanova alum.” University President, Rev. Peter M. Donohue remarked. The election of Pope Leo XIV is a moment of pride for Villanova, and it might have given Donte the motivation he needed for tonight’s game.

Can Donte DiVincenzo beat the team that helped “revive” his career?

Before Donte moved to Minnesota or joined forces with his Villanova teammates in New York, he was briefly a part of the Warriors roster. Although his tenure lasted only a year, it did wonders for the sharpshooter’s career. He even talked about it in an interview last year, “I took that year to rebalance and revive what I thought I could be, and I don’t think I could have went to a better place to do that.”

Sure enough, sharing the court with legends like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson elevated Donte’s game to the next level, “Playing with those dudes just completely changed my mindset of basketball.”

He continued, “I don’t think there’s this secret recipe they’re doing, but just the style of play they have makes a lot of guys successful. I think there’s certain organizations that you can just go to and play a certain style, that make guys look really good. And I think Golden State is that.” His time in the Bay Area helped him bag the biggest contract of his young career – four-year $50 million with the Knicks. Just like that, Donte turned into a key piece of title contending teams.

But the irony of life is that now, DiVincenzo is facing the same team that helped elevate his career. His sole focus—to beat them and advance to the West Finals. Well, Donte has had a quiet playoff so far, scoring in double-digits only once. Even in the last game, he scored just 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting. But the newly revived Villanova pride following Pope Leo XIV news could give him the push he needed to go on a scoring outburst. Do you think Donte can lead the Wolves to victory tonight?