Sixers fans may be irked that Villanova is celebrating its alumni playing for the New York Knicks, but a 76ers draft snub seemed as if the Sixers were going out of their way not to pick the drafted members of the two-time NCAA champion Wildcats team, writes Stefan Bondy for The New York Post.

Knicks player and former Wildcat Josh Hart was snubbed by the Sixers in the 2017 draft.

The next year, the Sixers, who actually share their home arena with Villanova, passed once on Villanova’s Donte DiVinenzo and twice on Jalen Brunson.

The Sixers did pick Villanova forward Mikal Bridges but quickly traded him to the Suns for Zhaire Smith.

Bridges’ mother even worked for the Sixers and he was still traded on draft night.

Hart said he was surprised.

“With the pedigree that we were coming in with, the discipline, the winning mentality that we had — so it was probably a little surprise,” Hart said. “Us being right down the street the pipeline is there. But they felt their organization wanted to go in a different direction.”

The players that the Sixers did draft in 2017 or 2018 are no longer on their roster.

Read more about the complex relationship between Villanova and Philadelphia in The New York Post.