Nova Marches on to FINAL FOUR!!!

Final Score: #3 Villanova 78, #1 Pitt 76

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 15 points, game winner

Recap: Villanova pretty much had the game in the bag, then committed one of the most boneheaded passes ever, and it seemed like we were heading for overtime. Then with 5 seconds left, Scottie Reynolds made one of the greatest plays in school (and NCAA Tournament) history. He just said, "Pack your bags fellas, we're going to Detroit now!" and drove the ball straight to the rim, took contact, and still made the shot. Just an unbelievable play to cap off an epic game. I was one of the most most optimistic Villanova fans at the start of the season, but even I did not anticipate this team making the Final Four. But here we are... and we're not done yet!

Jay Wright: Great Coach, or Greatest Coach?Myself and others were critical of Jay Wright throughout the season for him favoring his upperclassmen over the more talented sophomores. Jay stuck to his guns however, opting for the more experienced group. And it was experience that enabled the players to keep their composure after the bad pass and run the same play that they've ran hundreds of times in practice to win the game. There isn't another coach in the entire country I'd rather have leading this team and representing the university than Jerold Taylor Wright Jr.

One word to describe Jay Wright's defense: pesky. All of Nova's defenders are in their man's face, constantly slapping at the ball, trying to force turnovers. It is visibly irritating to their opponents. Also to make up for their lack of size, Jay has them playing excellent help defense, always switching, double-teaming, and recovering. Jay may not be the best coach in America at drawing up in bounds plays, but the man can sure run a defense. And as the saying goes: "Defense wins Championships".

God I Love Dwayne AndersonDwayne is not the best shooter or ball handler, and at a skinny 6'6, he often times winds up playing against much bigger power forwards, but no one I know plays with more heart. He has that Kyle Lowry gene (or is it a sickness?). He might be that guy who took dodgeball in gym class way too seriously, or was a little too competitive when playing Scrabble with his family, but dag nabbit, there's not another guy in the world I'd rather have diving for loose balls on my basketball team. He saved the best scoring performances of his career for the NCAA Tournament (15 ppg), and he continues to make big play after big play. He knocked down a big 3-pointer, then came up with a crucial steal leading to the and-1. I don't know how we're going to replace him next year.

Big Shot ReynoldsScottie instantly altered his Villanova legacy in a mere five seconds with one spectacular shot. Sure he's had two 40-point games, but he has been underwhelming in his NCAA Tournament career. Now, no matter what happens from here on out, Scottie Reynolds will go down as one of the all-time Villanova greats.


Shane Clark!?!?!?!Where did this kid get the guts start jacking up threes all of a sudden, in the biggest game of his career? He hit three big 3-pointers early in the game to help Nova get off to a strong start. Also for once in his career he didn't lead the game in pump fakes; that feat belonged to Pitt's Sam Young.

Reggie's RedemptionI like how Jay Wright defended Reggie Redding in the postgame interview by saying it took guts to try that full-court pass, but yeah, it wasn't the smartest play. You have to give Reggie credit for keeping his cool and making a good inbounds pass to Cunningham on the next play. He stuffed the stat sheet as usual: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.

Fisher PriceCorey Fisher was at it again. The jumpers weren't falling for him in the first half, so he did what he does best and took it to the rack in the second half to score 9 points. He's made dramatic strides in his free throw shooting: he's 24/27 in the NCAA Tournament so far. Fisher was a perfect 7/7 shooting clutch free throws down the stretch against Pitt.

Corey "Strokes"Stokes brought that scoring punch off the bench, hitting some big shots. He sank a big 3-pointer, and also showed some versatility by driving to the basket to score.

Humble PenaAntonio Pena played some solid minutes in relief of Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark to eat some fouls in the post. Most young players would be sour about not just losing their spot in the starting five, but almost falling out of the rotation completely. However, when Jay Wright calls Pena's name he is ready to play. This is a testament to his class and the attitude Jay Wright instills in his players.

Valiant EffortI have to give credit to Pitt; after all it, takes two to play one of the best college basketball games ever. I have a ton of respect for DeJuan Blair; he plays tough and always has a smile on his face. We had no answer for Sam Young and his pump fakes as he dropped 28 points. Finally, Levance Fields is a fierce competitor; hitting two clutch free throws, then almost nailing the full-court heave.

Well I guess that's about it... What's that, I forgot somebody? Oh yeah, that guy.

Dante Cunningham has been so consistently great all season that it's almost boring. What can I say that hasn't already been said about DC. Four years, 4 NCAA Tournaments, 100+ victories, 1 Sweet 16, 1 Elite 8, 1 Final 4, and he's been a valuable player on every one of those teams. The dude is simply a winner. He had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in this one to set his 2009 Tournament averages at 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. It's almost impossible to lead your team to the Final Four with numbers like those and not be drafted to the NBA.

Nova Rolls Past UCLA to Sweet 16

Final Score: #3 Villanova 89, #6 UCLA 69

Player of the Game: Dante Cunningham - 18 pts, 10 rebounds, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Recap: Now that's what I'm talking about! This is the team we were expecting to see show up to the NCAA Tournament. Villanova played it's most complete and balanced game of the season, dominating UCLA with its physical play from start to finish. This was definitely an award-worthy performance...

The John Wooden Award for Best CoachJay Wright and his squad put on a clinic today. Six Wildcat players scored in double figures, and a seventh, Shane Clark, had 8. UCLA, from the Panzy 10 Pac-10, was flabbergasted by Villanova's tough, physical style of play. Everybody on the team did what they're supposed to: Dante and Dwayne had double-doubles, Fisher was swishing and dishing, Stokes (12 pts) was draining threes (4-9), Scottie was scoring (11 pts), Redding did a little bit of everything (13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals), and even Shane Clark was scoring in the post and rebounding.

The "I Love You Man" Award for Best BromanceAssociate head coach Pat Chambers kissed Dwayne Anderson on the head when returned to the bench. D-Train deserved some love for this performance: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. Anderson's highlight of the game was when he sprinted down the court, dove towards Darren Collison from behind, stole the ball, then slid across the floor on his stomach. That's just the kind of hustle Dwayne brings to the game, and it seems like he has at least one of those types of plays every game.

The Manu Ginobili "Sixth Man" Award

We all know Corey Fisher won Big East Sixth Man of the Year, but is there a better player coming off the bench in the entire nation? I submit that there is not. Fisher Price has accepted his role and excelled at it. He brings instant energy and scoring into the game, and has a knack for getting to and finishing around the basket that few in the college game can replicate. He had a pretty flawless game today: 13 points (4-7, 1-3, 4-4), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers.

The Pennsylvania Lottery Award for Person That's About to Become Very RichIf Dante Cunningham continues to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, he could find himself on an NBA roster next year. NBAdraft.net has him going 37th overall right now. I thought he might have a little more trouble scoring today, but the Bruins had no answer for Dante's Inferno.

The Club Trillion Award

Walk-on Jason Colenda graduated from "Club Trillion" by hitting two free throws to score the first points of his collegiate career. Leave it to Colenda to do it in the NCAA Tournament, against the most prestigious program in all of college basketball, instead of an early December game against Houston Baptist.

The Austin Powers Award for Best Chest Hair

... Josh Shipp

Villanova will travel to Boston next week to play the winner of #2 Duke/#7 Texas. I am really looking forward to that game, no matter who we play. Duke is a team everybody loves to hate, and I'd love a rematch with Texas after that loss at the Garden back in December.

Nova Survives American Upset

Final Score: #3 Villanova 80, #14 American 67

Players of the Game: Dante Cunningham - 25 points, 7 reb
Dwayne Anderson - 25 pts, 8 reb

Recap: Well, I guess that's why they call it March Madness. American looked the part of Cinderella in the first half, as sharpshooter Garrison Carr (22 points, 6-14 3-PT) led his Eagles to a 10 point halftime lead. Nova played right into their hands by making it a 3-point shootout early on. If Villanova learned anything from their games against Marquette and Louisville in the Big East Tournament, it was to save their best basketball for the second half. When Nova was trailing by 14 with about 18 minutes left, I feared the worst, but in the back of my mind I remembered those second half collapses we had in the Big East Tournament. If they could do it to us, surely we could mount a comeback against the lowly14th-seeded American Eagles. In the second half it finally clicked to the Wildcat players that they were bigger, faster, and stronger, and therefore, American could not stop them inside. Nova attacked the basket and got to the free throw line at will, and also turned up the pressure defensively. It was a wild roller coaster ride of a game, but ultimately the glass slipper did not fit this Cinderella.

American's small frontline had no answer for Dante Cunningham, and his line proves it: 25 points, 9-16 FG, 7-7 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists. My only criticism is that he settled for a few too many jumpers. I mean, Dante had two slow white guys guarding him in the post. Don't get me wrong, Brian Gilmore is a smart player and I loved his effort (16 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), but he's not exactly the second coming of Bill Russell on the defensive post. It's not often that Villanova has the size advantage in a game, so when they do, Dante needs to take advantage of it.

In what seems to be a NCAA Tournament tradition, Dante was sporting a new design shaved into his head. Here's a shot of last year's 'do in the Sweet 16 game vs. Kansas and last night's game vs. American.


Dwayne Anderson played out of his mind. You can tell how much this means to him and his fellow senior and childhood friend, Dante Cunningham. He came out firing from long range and couldn't miss. He was the only Wildcat that could compete in a shootout... he only missed one shot the entire night (9-10 FG, 4-5 3-PT) to score his career-high 25 points.

Corey Fisher fell victim to the allure of the 3-point shot early in the game, but then went back to his schoolyard roots by driving to the basket in the second half. That's the highlight of Fisher's game, and his clutch free throw shooting played a major role in Villanova's comeback. He scored 9 of his 11 points from the stripe, and he added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Scottie Reynolds looked half asleep in the first half. This had the look of one of those classic games where Reynolds was shut down and Nova had no chance. He had 4 turnovers and only 2 assists. Scottie stepped it up slightly in the second half to score 8 points, but he was able to rely on his teammates for the scoring on a night when he wasn't feeling it. In years past Villanova couldn't win without a big night from Reynolds (see Kansas in last year's Tournament), but the improvements of players like Cunningham, Fisher, Anderson, Redding, and Stokes are what makes this years team capable of making a deeper run in the tournament.

Rounding out the box score:
Reggie Redding attempted three 3-pointers in a game for the first time in over a month. He made one, but that's not his game, he's much better driving to the basket. Nova's defensive stopper had an impressive 4 blocks in the game.

Corey Stokes attempted 5 threes, but only made one to score five points. I have a feeling he will have a better shooting night in the second round. He also contributed in other areas with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Shane Clark had 2 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds (2 offensive) in 19 minutes.

Antonio Pena did not play. I'm surprised Jay Wright didn't use Pena to exploit American's size disadvantage.

Anderson Beats Buzzer, Marquette to Set Up Semifinal Matchup with Louisville

Final Score: Villanova 76, Marquette 75

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals

Recap: Villanova played its best half of the season, taking a 16 point lead into the locker room. It looked like the loss of Dominic James was too much for Marquette to handle. But then that happened. Nova got a little too comfortable with the big lead, and Marquette started sinking some 3-pointers. I'm not even sure how it happened, but suddenly Nova was down by one with only 40 seconds remaining. Corey Stokes almost blew Villanova's chances with a travel, but a great defensive effort on the other end left Nova with one more chance. Reggie Redding dribbled around the top of the key for what seemed like an eternity, then found a wide open Dwayne Anderson under the basket for a layup that bounced around on the rim about twenty times before dropping in just as the buzzer sounded. Dwayne Anderson was having a very quiet night. He only had 2 points and 4 rebounds, but he turned out to be the hero for Villanova on this day.

Scottie Reynolds had a great first half, scoring an efficient 18 points, half of which came from the free throw line. However, he only scored 3 points in the second half to finish 5-13 from the field. His cold touch in second half was part of the reason for Nova's collapse. I have to commend him for his toughness on the boards. He grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and battled for a couple more that resulted in Marquette fouls.

Corey Stokes picked up the slack in the second half by scorching the nets from all over. He scored 20 points on 6-9 fg, 3-6 3pt, and 5-5 ft. His only mistake was the travel, but luckily it didn't cost Villanova the game.

Dante Cunningham struggled to find his shot throughout the game, only scoring 7 points on 3-10 shooting. Marquette really made an effort to deny him the mid-range jumper that Dante has been so lethal with. He also had an uncharacteristically low 2 rebounds and battled foul trouble, finishing with 4 personals in 25 minutes.

Corey Fisher had a nice game off the bench: 8 points, 5 assists, 1 turnover. He had a few plays for the highlight reel including a one-handed shovel pass on the break to Scottie Reynolds for an easy layup, an alley-oop dish to Dante Cunningham, and he went coast-to-coast finishing with a spin move to beat the first half buzzer. Corey is clearly not afraid of the spotlight.

Double R had a typical "Reggie Redding game": 8 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. He obviously played an integral part in the winning basket by setting up Dwayne with the pass. Shane Clark had a solid game with 6 points and 6 rebounds, 4 coming on the offensive glass. Antonio Pena also contributed on the boards with 6 rebounds to go with his 2 points.

On the Marquette end, Villanova was able to force their two star guards, Jerel McNeal (4-17 fg) and Wesley Matthews (1-10 fg) into poor shooting performances. Although, they were able to finish with 15 and 11 points respectively. Nova had trouble in the paint with Jimmy Butler, who went 13-16 from the free throw line off the bench. Dominic James' replacement, Maurice Acker, made a valient effort, going 3-4 from downtown to score 12 points. Speaking of James, was it really necessary to keep a camera on him the entire game? I feel like I saw his face more than I saw actual game footage.

Next Game: Louisville, 7:00 PM, on ESPN

Ever since that heartbreaking loss to Louisville at the Wachovia Center, I've been hoping for a rematch with the Cardinals. Now Villanova gets their chance. Louisville cruised to a 73-55 win over Providence in the game just before Nova's near collapse. The Marquette game should serve as a wake up call to Villanova, reminding them that they need to play a full forty minutes. I think this close-call will help Nova gear up for the #1 seeded Cardinals. If Cunningham can bounce back, Reynolds can play a full game, Stokes stays hot from three, Fisher plays in control, andRedding and Anderson stay tough on defense, Villanova can pull the upset. They already proved they could play with this team, and I'm sure that watching the videotape from the crushing defeat on January 10 will make the Wildcats hungry for revenge.

• 1/10 Louisville Preview
  
• 1/10 Louisville Recap

Nova Says Bye Bye to Providence

Final Score: Villanova 97, Providence 80

Player(s) of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 23 pts, Dwayne Anderson - 19 pts, Dante Cunningham - 19 pts

Recap: Villanova won their 28th straight game in the Pavilion to end the regular season and clinch a double-buy in the Big East Tournament. The game was closer than the final score would indicate, as Nova ran away towards the end of the game by forcing 22 Providence turnovers on 19 steals. Villanova finishes the regular season 25-6, which is exactly how I predicted them to finish before the season began, although I had them going 12-6 in the Big East. Now Nova gets some time to rest before they travel to Madison Square Garden with an opportunity to improve their NCAA seeding.

I predicted big nights from the seniors and Dante and Dwayne delivered. Both had 19 points in their final games at the Pavilion. Cunningham's shot was a little off (8-17 fg, 3-7 ft), but he still had a great night, adding 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Anderson only played 17 minutes because of foul trouble, but he was extremely efficient during that time. He was 7-11 from the field, 3-5 from three, and had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and a block. Shane Clark had a less dramatic night, fouling out in 20 minutes, but he still contributed. He hit a 3-pointer and grabbed 5 rebounds and 2 steals. The final senior, Frank Tchuisi, even got onto the stat sheet. He had 1 point and 1 rebound in his final night playing in front of the Pavilion crowd. Word is he will be back as a coach next year.

With all the hype surrounding the seniors, appreciating their achievements and bidding them farewell, kind of lost in the shuffle is Scottie Reynolds. For all we know the junior standout may have played his last game in the Pavilion. Right now I don't think his NBA draft stock is high enough to leave early, but if he leads Villanova to the Final Four averaging something like 20 points and 5 assists, he could propel himself into a first round pick. He had 23 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals in this game, hitting five big 3-pointers.

Villanova did an excellent job taking care of the ball. They had 26 assists and only 7 turnovers. Reggie Redding led the team with a career-high 11 assists and zero turnovers. This is the first time all season that any Wildcat has reached double digits in assists. Corey Fisher dished out six dimes himself, while committing zero turnovers. He broke out of his mini-shooting slump by scoring 13 points off the bench. He also had 4 steals in 27 minutes. Also quietly efficient off the bench were Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena. Stokes hit three triples to score 11 points. Pena scored 6 points in 9 minutes and had a coulple of blocks.

G-Town Wins Defensive Battle

Final Score: Georgetown 56, Villanova 54

Player of the Game: Chris Wright - 13 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb

Recap: This was a classic Big East battle; low scoring and dominated by tough defense on both ends. It was a wild back-and-forth affair that saw more turnovers than field goals made. Villanova had 20 turnovers (made 15 field goals), while Georgetown turned it over 23 times (made 22 field goals).

I may have jinxed Corey Fisher with my recent column, praising his play over the 13 games since the Seton Hall win. He had his worst game since then, going 2-8 from the field to score just 6 points. He also had zero assists and 3 turnovers. Corey Stokes was also cold, going 1-7 from the field and 1-5 from downtown, including a forced three with plenty of time still left on the clock to find a better shot.

You would hope that a bad game from Fisher equals a good game from Scottie Reynolds, but that was not the case. Scottie had an even worse shooting day (2-10 fg, 1-6 3-pt). He did finish with 12 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals, but had a dooming 6 turnovers. When Fisher and Reynolds are both cold offensively, it's nearly impossible for Nova to win, but they almost did pull it off.

FYI: Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher played a total of 14 minutes together. The only extended stretch they were on the court at the same time was for 8 minutes early in the second half, a span during which Villanova outscored Georgetown 12-10. After the nine and a half minute mark in the second half, Fisher and Reynolds played a total of ten seconds together. How the team's two best guards can't see more than ten seconds together during the most important nine and a half minutes of the game, I cannot understand. I also don't understand why Jay chose Anderson and Redding over Fisher for Nova's crucial possession with 35 seconds left. I know Fish wasn't having the best game, but you need your best shooters and playmakers in that situation, not your best defenders.


Dante Cunningham had the defensive play of the year with a block from behind on a Chris Wright breakaway layup. I thought that would have been a game-changing moment, but Nova was unable to capture the lead afterwards. Dante had a pretty good game, just missing a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds. I thought Nova could have gone to their leading scorer more often in this game, as he only had seven field goal attempts.

Reggie Redding and Dwayne Anderson played great. They did everything they were supposed to; aggressive defensive and rebounding, and chipping in offensively when open. They combined for 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. Villanova's bread and butter is the combination of the swarming defense of Anderson and Redding and the scoring punch of Reynolds, Fisher, and Stokes. However, only one element of the formula was working on this day.

Part of the credit for Nova's poor shooting goes to Georgetown's defense, but there was more to it than just that. The Hoyas executed better down the stretch, and with their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, they seemed like they wanted it more.Hopefully this game serves as a wakeup call for Villanova to finish the season strong because they still have an outside chance for a top-4 seed in the Big East Tournament. Assuming they take care of St. John's and DePaul, I think this win should put Georgetown into the Big Dance. They'd be finishing with an under .500 conference record, but they played a brutal schedule and beat some marquis teams without losing to any horrible ones.

Nova Sweeps Syracuse

Final Score: #14 Villanova 89, #25 Syracuse 86

Player of the Game: Dwayne Anderson - 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Recap: Nova survived a late collapse to complete the season series sweep of Syracuse. (Whoa, that was a lot of S's.)

Oscars Edition

Best Picture:This picture of Dwayne Anderson best captures the emotions of Nova's win. Just a few days after I praised him for being the unheralded guy who does all the dirty work, Dwayne comes out and scores a career-high 22 points. He was hot early, hitting 4 of 6 from downtown. When Anderson gives you that kind of offense, Villanova is tough to beat.

Best Actor: Shane Clark
Shane Clark's career is similar to Mickey Rourke's in The Wrestler. Rourke played a struggling washed up wrestler who tries to make a comeback in the ring. Clark has struggled with injuries most of his career at Villanova, and it seemed like he wouldn't be a factor this season. Shane proved the doubters wrong with another great game: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists. With his extra-long arms, he is proving to be the team's best offensive rebounder. He had 5 in this game, and 42 of his 93 rebounds this season have come on the offensive end.

Best Supporting Actor: Corey Fisher
Just like Heath Ledger stole the show with his portrayal as the Joker in The Dark Knight, Corey Fisher stole the show when he came off the bench in this game. Fisher had a very efficient 16 points (5-6 fg, 1-1 3pt, 5-7 ft) and added 2 assists, a steal, and only 1 turnover. He went head to head with Johnny Flynn, who was caught dropping f-bombs on TV, and Fisher Price came out on top.


Other Notes
Dante Cunningham flirted with a triple-double (12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists), and he might have gotten it if he didn't have to sit out for a few minutes after picking up his fourth foul. This was his eighth double-double of the season.

Reggie Redding did just about everything you can expect from him. He had 11 points, a career-high 7 assists, and the defensive specialist had 6 steals, also a career-high.

Scottie Reynolds had 10 points and 2 assists, but he almost cost Villanova the game. He had 5 turnovers, several of which came in the final minutes when he carelessly dribbled into trouble and traveled trying to break Syracuse's press. Syracuse had a couple good looks to tie the game, but luckily Scottie's mistakes didn't come back to haunt Nova.

Nova Gets Past Rutgers

Final Score: #14 Villanova 82, Rutgers 72

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 21 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl

Recap: This was one of those sloppy games where you kept waiting for Villanova to pull away, but it didn’t happen until late in the second half. Now for a special NBA All Star Weekend edition of post-game awards.

The Michael Rapaport in the Celebrity Game Award for Excessive Fouling

Frank Tchuisi got the first start of his career on senior night and responded by committing 2 fouls in 40 seconds. It's understandable, he was probably a little nervous. But anyway, thanks to Frank for his four years committed to the program. He never played much, but from what I hear he always works hard in practice and his positive attitude helps his teammates.

P.S. Rapaport was whistled for 8 fouls in that game.

The Kobe and Shaq Award for Co-MVPs of the Game

... Goes to Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham. This inside/outside combo have been the MVPs all season long and this game was no different. Scottie had a game-high 21 points and 6 assists. He did most of his work at the free throw line where he was 10-11. Dante had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night (5-17 FG), but he still had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. You really can't say enough about the progess he's made during his career at Nova, and it was nice to honor him and his classmates' achievements on Senior Night.

The Kevin Durant Award for H-O-R-S-E Champion

If this team played H-O-R-S-E, I would put my money on Fisher Price. He's one of the most creative finishers around the basket I've ever seen, and he has a solid outside shot. Corey put all of his skills on display in this game to score 14 points, using teardrops, double-clutchers, and 3-pointers. He only missed one shot the entire night (4-5 fg, 2-3 3pt, 4-4 ft). His assist to turnover ratio has really improved the past few games; it was 3 ast/0 t.o. last night.

The Daequan Cook Award for 3-Point Shooting

Corey Stokes was in a groove hitting 5 of 7 shots from downtown to score 17 points. His five longballs were the most he's had in a game since December 4 vs. Houston Baptist. He added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. His only other basket came on a breakaway dunk.

The KryptoNate Robinson Award for Slam Dunk Champion

Shane Clark had a sick left-handed put-back dunk early in the game. He surprised me with one of these a few games ago, but maybe I shouldn't be so surprised anymore. He seems to have regained his athleticism and is finally fully healthy. It's just a shame it had to come at the end of his career here. He had 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist on Senior Night.

The Dwayne Anderson Award for Being Dwayne Anderson

I can't forget about our fourth and final senior, Dwayne Anderson, on senior night. He might have tried to do a little too much to make this night special by taking some extra shots (3-11 fg, 0-4 3pt), but that's okay, he desrves to be a little selfish. He's been the unheralded guy all four years at Villanova, willing to do all the little things to help the team win. He sacraficed his offense to focus on defense and rebounding, and last season, when Jay Wright called on him to be a starter, he delivered. Despite being a thin 6'6, he has battled in the post with power forwards and usually comes out with the rebound. His stats are rarley eye-popping (8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal last night), but attitude and toughness usually doesn't show up in a box score. Hopefully our younger players and recruits are watching and learning from Dwayne because there'e a lot more to being a great player than just scoring points.

Nova Fries Friars

Final Score: #16 Villanova 94, Providence 91

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 31 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast

Recap: Waiting to Exhale
Villanova was up by 20 and it looked like they would coast to an easy victory, but then Providence mounted a "Malcolm Grant vs. LSU-like" comeback and suddenly it was a one point game. Luckily Scottie Reynolds and Dwayne Anderson were clutch at the free throw line to seal the game, but how did that happen? Nova may have gotten a little too comfortable with the lead, but when Sharaud Curry, Jeff Xavier, and Weyinmi Efejuju are draining 40-footers there's really nothing you can do. Providence just caught fire from downtown, hitting 17 of 40 attempts. Nova completely outplayed Providence earlier in the game, but the Friars proved that when their shooters are hot, they are a very dangerous team.

Kobe:61, LeBron:52, Scottie:31
I predicted Scottie Reynolds would have a big scoring night in my preview, and he delivered with 31. It wasn't quite as spectacular as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James' classics at the Garden, but impressive nonetheless. Scottie was on fire early, scoring 10 points in the first couple minutes. He eventually cooled off, hurting his shooting percentage (7-18 FG, 4-11 3PT), and got a big chunk of his points from the free throw line (13-15) in the final minutes of the game.


Triple Double-Double
Not one, not two, but three Wildcats had double-doubles. Dante Cunningham and Reggie Redding both had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dante was quiet on the offensive end, only attempting five shots and making all of them. He also ended his streak of consecutive games with a blocked shot. However, Redding did record a block; a huge one that spoiled Providence's comeback attempt. Redding had a solid shooting night 6-11, but continued to struggle from behind the arc where he was 0-3. Dwayne Anderson had the big double-double with a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. He also added a season-high 5 steals and 2 assists. He was lethal from the corner, hitting three of four 3-pointers, and had a monster dunk towards the end of the game. I loved how he got all over Frank Tchuisi for failing to box out at the end of the first half. It shows the passion that Anderson plays with and how much pride he takes in defense and rebounding. In the Big East, many games are won on toughness, and no one on the team is tougher than Dwayne Anderson.

The Two Coreys
When Corey Fisher entered the game, he picked up right where Scottie Reynolds left off by scoring in bunches. He was aggressive on offense, scoring from the inside and out to finish with 12 points. The only problem was he fouled out in only 16 minutes. A couple of the fouls were foolish, especially the intentional foul (Nova's had a lot of these lately), where he grabbed a Friar from behind on a breakaway. His great play helped Nova grab that 20 point lead, and conversely, his absence played a part in Providence's comeback. Corey Stokes hit one 3-pointer early, but then went oh-for the rest of the game. It was a rare poor shooting night from Stokes, but it happens. It just would have been nice to see him do some other things when his shot isn't falling.

Where's Pena?
Antonio Pena has seemingly disappeared the past four games. After averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds in 31 minutes for a three game stretch, he has dropped to 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 15 minutes in the last four. He had 2 points and 1 rebound in 8 minutes vs. Providence.