NNBEPP2: 2011 Movies

While watching last Sunday’s Super Bowl, I could hardly even focus on the game because of all the great new movie trailers that premiered. The Patriots won, right? Anyway, let’s take a look at the upcoming 2011 movies in the latest edition of the Nova News Big East Power Poll.

1. Pitt (22-2, 10-1) :: Captain America
The leader of the Avengers seems like a good representative for the leader of the conference, but can Pitt remain one of the top teams in America without their captain, Ashton Gibbs. The Wildcats will get their first look at the Panthers this Saturday, when Nova will put it’s 46-game Pavilion winning streak on the line.

2. Notre Dame (20-4, 9-3) :: The Green Lantern
Hopefully it will change this weekend, but the fact remains, the Fighting Irish are the only Big East team to beat Pitt this season. Ben Hansbrough is playing like he has a mystical green ring that gives him the college basketball superpowers of his brother Tyler.

3. Georgetown (19-5, 8-4) :: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Like his father, John Thompson III has Georgetown competing at an elite level every year, even after losing players to the NBA. The Hoyas are on a seven-game winning streak, but they’d be even better if Austin Freeman could dress up and play all five positions like Martin Lawrence.

4. UConn (18-4, 6-4) :: Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
Michael Bay’s movies are known for their big explosions and action sequences, but they tend to lack in story and character. The 2010-11 Huskies are known for Kemba Walker’s big scoring and impressive stat lines, but the team is lacking in other areas. Not to mention Walker’s shooting percentage has plummeted over the past two months. However, the Transformers movies still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars, and UConn still wins games, and those are the only stats that really matter.

5. Villanova (19-5, 7-4) :: Just Go With It
Villanova was cruising along, up double-digits on Rutgers, and I kind of half-tuned out. The next thing I know, it’s a two-point game. I think Jay Wright and his team did they same as I, and started looking forward to this weekend’s big match-up against Pitt. The way Nova lost that game was rough, but like Adam Sandler, I’m going to say “just go with it”, forget it and move on. Games like this happen, where you think you’ve won and you mentally check out, and it’s better to happen now than in the NCAA Tournament. It sounds cliche, but that loss will be a learning experience, and I don’t think this team will ever let up in a game for the rest of the season. If they needed to lose a mid-season game to Rutgers to learn that lesson, so be it. Furthermore, this loss will only add fuel to the fire for Saturday’s game versus Pitt. Let’s just hope the critics’ reviews of Villanova come March are better than those of Just Go With It.

6. Syracuse (20-5, 7-5) :: Super 8
J.J. Abrams’ projects are always shrouded in mystery, almost as much mystery as this Syracuse team. I can’t figure them out. They start the season 18-0, but are 2-5 since. Why does Fab Melo continue to start every game when he only plays 3 minutes? Where is Carmelo going? What's on that train in the Super 8 trailer? What is the island on Lost? I need answers!

7. Louisville (18-6, 7-4) :: Hall Pass
"A married man is granted the opportunity to have an affair by his wife." Is that the plot to Hall Pass or Rick Pitino’s life?

8. Cincinnati (19-5, 6-5) :: Cowboys & Aliens
Okay, I give up. I can’t figure out any way that cowboys and aliens relate to the Cincinnati Bearcats… But, hey, doesn’t that movie look cool?

9. Marquette (15-9, 6-5) :: Thor
Thor was a warrior, and the Golden Eagles used to be Warriors. Despite wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, Marquette might not even make the NCAA Tournament this year, which has more to say about the depth and quality of the Big East than Marquette’s shortcomings.

10. West Virginia (15-8, 6-5) :: The Hangover Part II
This season has been the hangover to last year’s Final Four for West Virginia. The second hangover is the one Bob Huggins has while he’s coaching.

11. St. John’s (13-9, 5-5) :: X-Men: First Class
Talk about first classes, Steve Lavin has the #2 recruiting class in the country, with 6 players in the ESPNU Top 100. As for their 15 point win over Duke? They must have turned into mutants for that game.

12. Providence (14-10, 3-8) :: Priest in 3D
What’s crazier, a vampire-killing priest or a donut-eating friar?

13. Rutgers (13-11, 4-8) :: Sucker Punch
Rutgers’ stunning comeback win over Villanova felt like a sucker punch. It was just one of those freaky Reggie Miller/Larry Johnson late-game performances. Sure, Villanova made their share of mistakes, but Rutgers hit some lucky shots that make you just shrug your shoulders and tip your cap.

14. Seton Hall (10-14, 4-8) :: Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides
Bullets are no match for pirates… Captain Jack Sparrow nor Jeremy Hazell.

15. South Florida (8-17, 2-10) :: Fast Five
It’s not good when the highlight of your season is “holding” Jimmer Fredette to 32 points in a double-overtime loss and “holding” Kemba Walker to 24 points in an overtime loss. Neither is it good when the highlight of your movie is the trio of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson. I don’t know what’s more surprising, that they’ve made five Fast and the Furious movies or that South Florida has been in the Big East for five years already. Either way, it sure was a “fast five”.

16. DePaul (6-17, 0-11) :: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Never say never, unless the question is “When will DePaul win a Big East game?”

NFL: Nova Football League

Villanova’s return home after their 3-game road trip wasn’t as sweet as they had hoped it would be. Austin Freeman led Georgetown with 30 points in a 69-66 victory over Nova in Philly. However, Nova’s true return home to the cozy confines of the on-campus Pavilion was just what they needed to halt a 2-game losing streak. The 75-70 win over Marquette marked the Wildcats’ 46th-straight victory at the Pavilion. Now if only Jay Wright could figure out a way to move the Big East and NCAA Tournaments to the Pavilion…

With the Super Bowl approaching this Sunday, it got me thinking. What if Villanova’s basketball players chose a different path? What if they ditched the hardwood for the gridiron and devoted their lives to the sport of football instead of basketball? Could they do it?

I could see Corey Fisher being a Ray Rice-like running back. He’s quick and has a compact frame, plus he has a knack for bouncing off of defenders on his way to score. With 6-pointers, instead of 3-pointers, Fisher should be able to double the 105 points he scored last summer.

Corey Stokes is the ultimate deep threat in basketball, which would make him a perfect wide receiver in football. He could use his height to his advantage when catching jump-balls in the end zone like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. The only problem is Stokes is too humble to be a prima donna wideout like TO and Moss. He will have to work on that.

Maalik Wayns would be the quarter back. He’s a natural leader, a playmaker, a scorer, and a distributor. With his lightening-fast speed he could be the next Michael Vick. You know, minus the whole dog fighting thing.

Antonio Pena has all the tools to play linebacker in the NFL. He’s definitely the strongest player on the team, and he just has that “look”, like Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor, that strikes fear into opposing players.

This should be easy, Mouphtaou Yarou grew up playing football… never mind that was “the other football”. But Mouph has proven to be a fast learner of new sports, and I could see him lining up at defensive end. He has the footwork to get around offensive guards and rush the quarterback plus the length to deflect passes.

Dominic Cheek would make a nice NFL safety. He is one of the most versatile players at Villanova, able to play multiple positions. As a safety he’d be free to roam on defense and make plays like Troy Polamalu. Although he’d have to start growing his hair out.

Maurice Sutton’s tall skinny frame doesn’t lend itself to football too well, but he could be useful on special teams. At almost 7-feet tall, Sutton can be a kick and punt blocking specialist. He just needs to jump over the line and swat away any field goal attempts with his long arms.

Isaiah Armwood has the speed, strength, and athleticism to make a very good corner back. He’s already defensive-minded, and he could use his height and leaping ability to intercept passes.

At 6’5, 225 lbs., James Bell is big and strong for a basketball guard, especially at Villanova, but that frame is ideal for a football tight end. Bell is right around the same size as Antonio Gates, who went from playing college basketball to being a Pro Bowl tight end.

Walk-ons Russell Wooten and Dallas Ouano perform the unsung duties of hyping up their teammates from the bench and pushing them at practice, so it’s only natural that they play the least heralded position in football, the offensive line. But they will need to start eating more. A lot more.

Even though he’s a great head coach, Jay Wright is the only member of the Villanova basketball program that definitely could not make the transition to football. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t imagine Jay wearing a sleeveless hooded sweatshirt on the sidelines like Bill Belichick. Moreover, the headsets would ruin his hair, and his designer suits wouldn’t mesh well with the frozen tundra of Lambeau.

Super Sloppy Snowy Weekend

The weekend saw a series of unexpected events: Washington DC got covered in three feet of snow, Georgetown scored 100+ points for only the second time in school history, Villanova committed 16 first half turnovers, Georgetown attempted 27 more free throws than Villanova, and the New Orleans Saints won their first ever Super Bowl. Villanova dropped their first Big East game of the season 103-90 to the Hoyas, ending their 11-game winning streak. Nova certainly didn't play their best game of the season, but you can't hang your head in shame after losing on the road to the 8th ranked team in the country. Georgetown is a very good team, and there might be a rubber match in the future for these two Big East rivals. Below are more thoughts on the game, and on that other game from Sunday night.

You Can't Beat Perfection
Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees was an outstanding 32/39, throwing 2 touchdowns, and completing 18 of his final 19 passes. Jason Clark played the game of his life and seemingly couldn't miss from downtown. He made six of seven 3-pointers to score 24 points. Nova was so busy trying to stop Greg Monroe inside, that they continually left Clark wide open on the perimeter. Oh yeah, and they couldn't stop Monroe either (19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists).

Great Players, Bad Turnovers
Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks ever, but he threw an interception on the Colts' final drive, securing the loss. Scottie Reynolds is one of the best players in the country, and you might look at the 24 points and 6 assists and think he had a great game. However, he had six costly turnovers, four of which came in the first half when Nova dug itself into a 23-point deficit.

Coaching Gambles
Sean Payton made a risky decision to open the second half with an onside kick and it paid off. John Thompson III faced a tough decision when his point guard Chris Wright picked up his fourth foul early in the second half. He put Wright back in with around 10 minutes left, and Wright later fouled out with about 5 minutes left, but ultimately none of it mattered as the Hoyas maintained a double digit advantage throughout the second half. Villanova fought til the end and technically won the second half 59-53, but I thought the Cats could have played much better considering Georgetown played most of the second half without a point guard.

And You Thought Those Fans Were Rowdy
Who Dat Nation was partying all night on Bourbon Street, but wait until you see the West Virginia fans tonight. Villanova better bring some helmets to wear while their sitting on the bench.

Nova-Georgetown Awards

Despite losing another big lead, Villanova held on to beat Georgetown 82-77 Sunday afternoon at the Wachovia Center. It ended a 5-game Hoya winning streak... certainly a cause for awards.

The Brett Favre Award for Outstanding Senior Performance
Senior classmen Scottie Reynolds scored an efficient 27 points (8-15, 4-7, 7-8), and led his Wildcats to their fifth straight Big East win. Senior citizen Brett Favre threw 4 touchdowns and led his Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Scottie has been granted the moniker "Mr. Big Shot" by the media, but this time the little man came down with a big rebound that helped win the game. After the game coach John Thompson III admitted, "Scottie can't be contained."

The Shonn Green Award for Outstanding Rookie Performance
The Jets rookie running back broke for a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to win the game for the Jets. Freshman Maalik Wayns scored 11 points and sank clutch free throws late in the second half to win the game for Villanova.

The Conan O'Brien Award for Getting Screwed by a Major Corporation

Conan is getting screwed by NBC and is losing the "Tonight Show". Kind of like how Corey Fisher got screwed by McDonald's when Chris Wright was named a high school All-American over him. Fisher outscored Wright, who struggled with fouls, 10-6. Who votes for those McDonald's All-American teams anyway? Ronald McDonald, Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese?

The George Clooney Award for Best Performance in a Loss

For his performance in Up in the Air, Jay Wright George Clooney lost to Jeff Bridges for the Best Actor Award at the Golden Globes last night. Greg Monroe had a monster game in the Georgetown loss: 29 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Nova had no answer for the versatile big man, but he didn't receive enough help from his teammates.

The "Jersey Shore" Award for Biggest Waste of Time
To the 10 minutes and 26 replays spent on reviewing the scuffle that wasn't between Armwood and Benimon over a rebound. That slight delay helped contribute to another two and a half plus hour game. Armwood showed some toughness on that play, and later in the game when he came up with a big steal from Greg Monroe. Jersey Shore seems to be the show everybody loves to hate, but I refuse to waste my time by watching it.

Around the Big East

1. Syracuse (10-0)
The Orange have made everyone forget about the preseason loss to LeMoyne with wins over Cal, North Carolina, and Florida. The junior transfer from Iowa State, Wesley Johnson, has been fantastic, averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and shooting 54% from three. They also got a commitment from the #2 center prospect for 2010, Febricio Melo. With a last name like that, I doubt Boeheim had to do much recruiting.

2. West Virginia (7-0)
They haven't played anybody yet, but their defense looks scary-good. They held Duquesne to 39 points. Devin Ebanks has missed four games due to unknown personal reasons. Nova-killer Da'Sean Butler is off to a nice start, averaging nearly 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

3. Villanova (9-1)
All aboard the Redding Railroad! Reggie will return from suspension on Saturday at Fordham. His senior leadership and defense might be exactly what this team is lacking.

4. Georgetown (8-0)
Speaking of scary-good defenses, opponents are only averaging 56.2 points against the Hoyas. G'Town fans should be thankful Greg Monroe (15.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3 assists) didn't bolt for the NBA last year.

5. UConn (6-2)
Their only losses are to Duke and Kentucky. They have one of the best backcourt duos in the nation with Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker, both of whom are averaging over 5 assists per game.

6. Cincinnati (6-2)
Both of their losses came in overtime to good teams (Gonzaga and Xavier). Lance Stephenson has skillzzz...


7. Pitt (8-2)
Their only two losses are to Texas and Indiana. There's a lot of new faces on this Panthers team, but they look better than I expected.

8. Seton Hall (8-0)
Seton Hall is undefeated? And second in the country in scoring at 90.8 per game? What the what? A game against Virginia Military (134-107) will skew the numbers, but still. By the way, Jamel Jackson dropped 40 in that game... the game before? One point! Shiver me timbers, what is up with the Pirates this year?

9. Louisville (5-3)
The Cardinals have lost two in a row, but at least the latest was against Carolina. Wait, that was Western Carolina?! Well then, things aren't looking too good for Pitino's squad. He can't seem to settle on a rotation; 11 players are averaging over 11 minutes per game.

10. St. John's (8-1)
The Johnnies are off to a nice start; their lone loss came at Duke. Plus, they accomplished what Villanova could not: win at Temple and hold Juan Fernandez to 5 points.

11. Notre Dame (9-2)
I wish I could say something about the Fighting Irish basketball team, but every time I Google search Notre Dame all I get back are updates on the football coach carousel.

12. Marquette (7-3)
I enjoyed this: http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/12/marquette-takes-on-greatest-team-ever.html

13. South Florida (7-2)
They're giving Ole Miss a run for their money for most exotic names: Augustus "Caesar" Gilchrist, Jarrid "Almost" Famous, Toarlyn "Reggie Cleveland All-Star" Fitzpatrick, Shaun "Manuel" Noriega.

14. Rutgers (7-2)
Could the Scarlet Knights' days in the Big East be numbered?
http://blog.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2009/12/big_ten_seeks_12th.html

15. Providence (7-4)
The Friars lead all of college basketball with an average of 45.8 rebounds per game. Take that stat with a grain of salt because it also means they're missing a ton of shots.

16. DePaul (6-3)
I guess the Blue Demon faithful is not thrilled with Jerry Wainwright's .436 winning percentage over his five seasons at DePaul... http://www.firejerrywainwright.com/ When you look at Isiah Thomas as a coaching upgrade, you know your program's in bad shape. My favorite "Wainwright'ism": "He plays with great enthusiasm, and what a physical specimen! If I looked like that, I'd spend all day walking around in a Speedo."

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 Hosts Georgetown Saturday

Foe: Georgetown Hoyas (14-12) (5-10)

Recent History: Villanova and Georgetown have a storied history, highlighted by "The Perfect Upset" in the 1985 NCAA Championship game. Georgetown leads the all-time series 38-27. Jay Wright is 5-6 vs. Georgetown, but the Hoyas are currently riding a four game winning streak against Nova. Last season Georgetown played Nova once in the regular season and once in the Big East tournament, with Nova losing both times. The regular season game at Georgetown ended on the controversial foul call on Corey Stokes, 55-53. Scottie Reynolds had a game-high 24 points, while Georgetown was led by Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace. The Big East Tournament game was a 82-63 blowout, fueled by seventeen 3-pointers made by the Hoyas. Georgetown lost Hibbert and Wallace to graduation, but added the highly talented 6'11 freshman, Greg Monroe. This year's team is balanced with four players averaging double figures in scoring: DaJuan Summers (13.6), Greg Monroe (12.9), Chris Wright (12.9), Austin Freeman (12.3). Senior guard Jessie Sapp is also a player to watch. He's only averaging 6.6 points per game, but he had 23 points against us last year in the BET on 6-9 shooting from downtown.

Best Win: 74-63 at UConn

Worst Loss: 65-60 at Seton Hall

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutumbo, Sleepy Floyd, Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert
Other: Bill Clinton, Jim Gaffigan, Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight), a lot of politicians


Fun Facts:

• 5 Final Fours, 1 National Championship (1984)

• 7 Big East Tournament titles, 4 Big East regular season titles

• Nickname is derived from the Greek and Latin chant, "Hoya Saxa", which translates to "What rocks".

Complimentary Youtube Video:


Final Verdict: This has been a surprising and disappointing season for Georgetown. They were ranked seven spots ahead of Villanova in the preseason coaches poll at #18. I criticized that ranking at the time, and because of the losses of Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr., Jeremiah Rivers, I wasn't as high on this team as most of the rest of the national media. Ironically, now after they have struggled through the Big East season, I am not as down on Georgetown as most of the national media is. They really don't have any horrible losses, and they do have some signature wins (#2 UConn, #8 Syracuse, #15 Memphis). Georgetown has the #1 toughest strength of schedule, which needs to be taken into consideration. Memphis is considered a lock for the tournament right now, and not only did Georgetown beat them, but I doubt Memphis would do much better than 5-10 playing Georgetown's Big East schedule. And there are plenty of other "Memphis's" out there being considered over Georgetown. Villanova's next opponent, Notre Dame is in the same situation. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but if Georgetown can win a couple more games, I think they deserve an at large bid. This all makes Saturday's meeting a very important game for Georgetown. I think Jay Wright and his players understand Georgetown's situation, and therefore will not overlook this game. I say Nova wins in a close game.

TV: 12:00 PM on ESPN

Links: Game Notes, AP, VUH, IBBW, VBTN, LGN, VV

NNBEPP1

Nova News Big East Power Poll 1st Edition

1. UConn - 8-0
Hasheem Thabeet has been a monster, even without the cornrows. The 7'3 center is averaging 14.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks. With wins over Miami and Wisconsin, this team is loaded and will get even better when Stanley Robinson returns from injury. I'll ignore the close call to Buffalo for now.


2. Pitt - 9-0
Pitt's teams are always boring and this one is no exception. Yet they're in the top 25 every year despite not having any top NBA talent.


3. Louisville - 4-1
Like Nova they've had an easy early season schedule, but unlike Nova they LOSE at HOME by DOUBLE DIGITS to WESTERN KENTUCKY without COURTNEY LEE. I CAN'T STOP USING CAPITALS!!! I don't know if they deserve this ranking, but they're just too deep and talented to drop any further.


4. Notre Dame - 6-2
Harangody has pneumonia, but the Irish might not need him with the way Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers are shooting the ball. McAlarney hit 26 threes in three consecutive games, including 10 against the ridiculously good Tar Heels, who might actually go undefeated this season.


5. Your Villanova Wildcats - 8-0
I can't wait for the showdown with Texas on Tuesday. Let's see what this team is made of.


7. Georgetown - 5-1
Greg Monroe seems poised to grab the torch from Roy Hibbert and continue in the tradition of great Hoya centers.


6. Syracuse - 8-0
The Orange had impressive wins over Florida and Kansas. Devendorf and Rautins are back, Johnny Flynn has been awesome, but it still feels like they're missing something...




8. Marquette - 7-1
Obviously Indiana is one of the premier coaching opportunities in the country, but don't you think Tom Crean wishes he had one more year with this team of James, Matthews, McNeal, and Hayward.


9. West Virginia - 6-1
Joe Alexander should have stayed in school another year, but I guess you can't blame him for leaving early... he's making $2.4 million more than me this year.




10. Seton Hall - 6-1
The Pirates had a nice win over the "post-Mayo" USC, and their only loss is to the "current-Tyreke Evans" Memphis.


11. Cincinnati - 6-1
The Bearcats on the right path back to national prominence with a great freshmen class, but Cashmere Wright's injury may have killed their season. This team could be very dangerous in the future though.

12. DePaul - 4-2
Dar Tucker is a stud (20+ ppg), but the Blue Demons were held to 36 points at Northwestern in an embarrassing loss.

13. St. John's - 6-1
They're only loss is to BC, but Anthony Mason Jr. is out for the season. At least they're still in the running for Lance Stevenson.




15. Providence - 6-3
Looks like it will be a long season at the Dunkin Donuts Center for new head coach Keno Davis.
14. Rutgers - 5-3
Former Nova assistant Fred Hill is nabbing some big time recruits (Mike Rosario, Greg Echenique), but the Scarlet Knights already have home losses to St. Bonaventure, Lehigh, and Binghamton.
16. South Florida - 3-3
Hey, at least they get to live in South Florida.

Nova falls to G-town

Final Score: Georgetown 82, Villanova 63

Players of the Game: Jonathan Wallace 20 pts (5-6 3pt) and Jessie Sapp 23 pts (6-9 3pt)

Villanova Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds 13 pts, 4 ast


Recap: Villanova made a valiant effort in an early second half comeback. They were able to take a four point lead in the second half after Georgetown dominated the first half. Georgetown was up by as many as fifteen in the first half and led by eleven at halftime. In the end Nova ran out of gas, and Georgetown pulled away late.
Reasons for the loss:
1. Georgetown shot the ball ridiculously from downtown. They tied a Big East Tournament record with 17 made 3-pointers. The Hoyas were 60.7% (17-28), with five different players knocking down a three.

2. Scottie Reynolds suffered a serious cut above his eye after going down hard to the floor on a driving lay-up. A foul wasn't even called on the play. Blood was dripping down his face, and although he returned to the game, it clearly bothered him. I have to give Scottie a lot of credit for going back out there and playing his best through the injury. It was reminiscent of Steve Nash's performance with the bloody nose versus San Antonio in the playoffs last year.


3. Corey Stokes struggled shooting the long ball. He was 2-12 from the field and 2-8 or three to score 8 points. Villanova's 3-point shooting was a key to yesterday's victory over Syracuse, but the team was only 6-18 (33.3%) today.

4. Villanova was unable to take advantage with Roy Hibbert off the floor. Hibbert was held scoreless and fouled out in only 14 minutes of action. This helped Nova's comeback early in the second half, but they weren't able to sustain it.

5. Patrick Ewing Jr. filled up the stat sheet in his daddy's old stomping grounds. He had 7 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.

6. Despite recent success, Shane Clark regressed today. He only had one point and was 0-4 from the field in 22 minutes.

7. Villanova only had six points off the bench. Part of the reason was Corey Stokes getting the start. Another reason was Jay Wright not bringing in any scorers off the bench. Corey Fisher only played eight minutes, and Malcolm Grant did not play at all.

8. Casiem Drummond only played two minutes. Villanova could have used the big fellow today, but that ankle must still be bothering him.


Now it's time for the waiting game. Villanova is on the bubble. Some experts say they are in the NCAA Tournament, others say they are heading to the NIT. Jay Wright had this to say following the game, "We're an NCAA tournament team, but that's not our decision. We'll let the committee make that decision. We still think we're one of the best teams in the country, we just weren't better than Georgetown today." I also think they should be in, but there's nothing more they can do now except sit back and hope the other bubble teams lose.

Next Game: ???

DISGRACE

Final Score: #8 Georgetown 55, Villanova 53

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds 24 pts, 10-13 FT


Recap: For the second time this season Villanova was robbed by a foul called with under one second left. This time the foul was called on Corey Stokes with one-tenth of a second left and the score tied at 53-53. The referees held their whistles after there was contact on Scottie Reynolds on his final drive, and it appeared the game was heading to overtime. Jonathan Wallace came up with the loose ball and dribbled down the sideline as he barely brushed bodies against Corey Stokes, and Bob Donato felt the need to call a foul 75 feet from the basket. It was a completely unacceptable call. Bob Donato took the outcome of the game away from the players, and decided to hand Georgetown a victory himself. Even Wallace admitted, "At first I thought I stepped out of bounds," after he heard the whistle. I thought the refs would have learned their lesson after the controversial finish to the NC State game. This was unfair to the coaches and players on both teams. Whether the call is against Villanova or not, it is a horrible way to decide a college basketball game, and that refereeing crew should be ashamed of themselves.

Scottie Reynolds played a great game, scoring 24 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line. Corey Fisher had a nightmare of a game going 1-16 from the field. He took a lot of difficult shots and had some unlucky bounces off the rim. He finished with 4 points and 4 assists. Nova had difficulty guarding Roy Hibbert who had 13 points ands was 7-12 from the free throw line. Casiem Drummond, Dwayne Anderson, and Corey Stokes all fouled out of the game trying to contain the big man. Drummond only had 1 point and 5 rebounds. He had some opportunities with put-backs, but couldn't find the bottom of the basket. Anderson didn't have a big offensive night (6 pts 3-9 fg) after his big game against Seton Hall, but he did have a career-high 10 rebounds. Dante Cunningham just missed a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. He made some clutch free-throws down the stretch, going 7-8 form the line. Corey Stokes had a good first half, scoring 7 points, but he failed to score in the second half. Antonio Pena was held to 2 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. Reggie Redding and Shane Clark both went scoreless in the game. Malcolm Grant did not play for the second straight game. I think it's time Jay Wright gave some answers, as there are rumors swirling around that Grant might be transferring.

Villanova once again went on a long scoring drought, that if avoided could have changed the outcome of the game. During an 11+ minute stretch in the second half the Wildcats went 0-19 from the field. Georgetown had a couple of droughts themselves. If Nova was able to avoid that drought, the game may not have even had to come down to that foul call. Villanova really played some good defense to keep them in the game, despite their offensive struggles.

This would have been a huge win for Villanova, and with a continued strong finish in the regular season and Big East Tournament, they could have had a chance for an at-large bid. Now that seems unlikely, as Nova falls to 4-7 in conference play and 14-9 overall. Despite the heartbreaking loss, this team proved they can hang with one of the best in the country and it should give them plenty of confidence for the remainder of the season.

Next Game: St. John's at MSG, Sat. Feb. 16, 8:00 pm