Tuesday, December 9, 2008

#6 Texas vs. #12 Nova

Tonight is the game we've all been waiting for. Nova's marquee non-conference opponent of the season.  The #6 Texas Longhorns versus your #12 Villanova Wildcats.   From Madison Square Garden in New York, for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let's get ready to rumble!

Texas is a goooood team.  Despite losing players annually to the NBA (LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustine), Rick Barnes has been able to keep his program at an elite level. This year they are led by senior guard A.J. Abrams. They also have a solid point guard in Justin Mason, and a great swingman in Damion James, and two 6'10ers in Connor Atchley and Dexter Pittman. 

These teams match up well, and on paper they seem pretty even.  Texas' biggest advantage is that they are battle-tested with a win over #9 UCLA and a close loss to #8 Notre Dame.  The Wildcats should be the crowd favorite because of the large number of Villanova alumni in the New York area (myself included).  Nova is also familiar with the Garden from the Big East Tournament.

Not to put too much pressure on them, but this is Villanova's only chance to prove what they've got and pad their tournament resume in non-conference play. So let's do it. Do it.



Preview links: VUH, VTBN, IBBW, LGN, Villanova, Texas, AP, Texas blog

No comments: