Villanova ended their regular season on a sour note, losing their fourth-straight game to Pittsburgh, 60-50. They finished 10th in the Big East and now find themselves in the unanticipated position of having to play in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday. The Wildcats have also fallen out of the Top-25 for the first time this season. I hate to make excuses, but-- wait that’s not true, I love making excuses. Here they are:
1. Injuries Corey Stokes was unavailable for three of Villanova’s losses, including the end of the Rutgers collapse that started this whole mess. Both of Villanova’s losses to Pitt, the Big East’s number one team, were close despite Stokes’ absence. If Stokes was healthy, I think Nova could have at least beaten the Panthers at the Pavilion and who knows what else.
Stokes is vital to this team’s success; however, the knee tendinitis that Corey Fisher has been battling for the past month or so is a more alarming injury. Even though it hasn’t caused him to miss any games, it certainly has effected Fisher’s play. I assumed he was simply going through a bad shooting slump, but an injury makes more sense. Fisher is too good to be having multiple 0-8 games from behind the arc. In hindsight it may have been a better idea for him to sit for a few of those games, but let’s just hope he’s healthy enough going forward.
2. The whole season counts. We've seen how good this team can be. Don’t forget Villanova had an 11-game winning streak this season, as well as wins over UCLA, Temple, Louisville, Maryland, and Syracuse. Nova should still be a safe bet for the Big Dance, and as long as your at the party, anything can happen on the dance floor.
3. Brutal Schedule Yeah, four straight losses sounds horrible on paper, but all four were against teams ranked in the Top-25. Meanwhile, teams like BYU and San Diego State go through most of their season without playing any ranked teams besides each other. Aside from that first half against Notre Dame, which I have erased from my memory, Nova has been in every single game this season, which should count for something.
4. One win is all you need... As DePaul nearly proved, no win is guaranteed in the Big East, but let’s just say Villanova has a good shot at ending their losing streak against the 3-15 Bulls of South Florida. Losing four games in a row can destroy a team’s confidence, but even just one win before the NCAA Tournament might be enough to restore it.
5. Jay Wright’s Secret Weapon No, not Maalik Wayns (27 points (6-12 3PT vs. Pitt), I’m talking about the Siberian tigers Jay Wright stole from the Philadelphia Zoo. Tiger blood might be just the thing this team needs to start WINNING again.
Villanova came dangerously close to losing their third-straight game Tuesday night against the Seton Hall Pirates. Last Saturday the Wildcats lost a close hard-fought game (57-54) to Pittsburgh, one of the best teams in the country, which is nothing to hang your head about even though the 46-game Pavilion winning streak came to an end. Ironically, Nova’s win over the Pirates was the more disappointing performance over the past two games. The team’s late-game ineptitude was reminiscent of the Rutgers collapse. Villanova led most of the game against Seton Hall and were up 7 points with 5 minutes to play. However, from that point on, they stopped attacking on offense and "played not to lose" instead of "playing to win". They ran the clock down on each offensive possession, which resulted in rushed turnovers or poor shots trying to beat the buzzer. Jay Wright’s team is at their best when playing at an up-tempo pace and remaining aggressive on offense. Maybe it’s just something about playing in New Jersey and the close proximity to the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore that makes them lose their minds.
Corey Fisher has been playing fantastic as always, but the problem is he hasn’t been playing enough. He fouled out early against Pitt when the team could have used him on that final possession with a chance to tie the game. Then Fisher was forced to sit on the bench with 4 fouls late in the Seton Hall game. You want him to stay aggressive on offense and defense, but he is the best player on the team and needs to be on the floor when it matters.
Antonio Pena is getting a little too trigger happy with that mid-range jumper. He’s much improved in that department, but he’s not quite as automatic as Dante Cunningham was. P.S. Dante out-double-doubled Kevin Love against the Timberwolves last Monday, (18 points and 13 rebounds for Cunningham vs. 12 points and 11 rebounds for Love) so I guess that scientifically proves he's a better player.
Maalik Wayns has fallen back into a shooting slump these past few games: 0-6 FG vs. Rutgers, 4-12 FG vs. Pitt, 2-7 FG vs. Seton Hall. Then when he does make a 3-pointer, it’s too late. However, Wayns’ bigger slump has been his ball-handling. He has 13 turnovers in past three games, including an almost-fatal 6 against Seton Hall. He’s one of the fastest players in college basketball, but speed kills, and sometimes he gets out of control.
James Bell stepped up big-time against Seton Hall in the absence of Corey Stokes. 21 points, 7-9 FG, 4-6 3PT, 3-3 FT. Was he wearing a Bayside Tigers shirt under his jersey? Did he make a call on a foot-long cell phone from the bench? Yep, I guess you can say Villanova was “Saved by the Bell”.
Mouphtaou Yarou had a huge game in the loss to Pitt with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks, despite the fact that he missed a wide open dunk. Mouph looked like he was on his way to another big game against Seton Hall after scoring 8 points in the first half, but he was scoreless in just 7 second half minutes.
Isaiah Armwood didn’t shoot any field goals against Pittsburgh, but he did hit one shot, the one to Nasir Robinson’s face. I don’t know whether or not it was intentional, but I kind of hope it was because Robinson deserved it. He’s just another name in a long tradition of dirty Panther players… *cough*cough* Carl Krauser.
Dominic Cheek is the player I thought would step up to fill the shoes of the injured Stokes, but instead Cheek shot 1-7 and 0-5 in the past two games. He hasn’t scored in double figures since January 6, two games before his knee injury. His rebounding numbers have been fine since then, so I don’t know why his shot is so off.
Even with Villanova down a man due to Stokes’ injury, Maurice Sutton’s playing has been dwindling. Sutton has played under 10 minutes for seven-straight games, as Jay Wright has been giving the extra minutes to Armwood and Bell.
Kyle Lowry scored a career-high 36 points Wednesday night to go along with 7 assists and 4 rebounds. A career under-30% 3-point shooter, Lowry hit 6 of 9 threes, improving his season average to 36.4%. It used to be that outside shooting was the only thing holding Kyle back. Now all he has to worry about is the slew of all-star caliber point guards he has to guard every night in the West: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd and...
Finally, congratulations to Randy Foye, who had his #2 jersey retired at the Pavilion last Saturday. Foye was one of my favorite players to watch while I was at Villanova, both on the court and off. It was just five years ago that I was sitting in the same classroom as Randy in Mendel Hall for our marine biology class. Ah, the good ‘ole days, learning about crustaceans and algae. Now he’s making millions of dollars in the NBA and I’m… not.
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.
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?”
Villanova lost back-to-back games for the first time this season after a 70-65 loss to the 19th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. This is no time to panic; the Big East schedule is grueling, and the Petersen Events Center is always one of the toughest places to play in the country. However, there have been some discouraging trends in Villanova's losses that must be addressed for continued success.
The most alarming stat from each of Villanova's losses has been the free throw differential. Pitt (26-34), Nova (11-16) UConn (35-44), Nova (16-20) Georgetown (34-50), Nova (17-23) Temple (12-17), Nova (9-11)
In every loss, the opponent has made more free throws than Villanova attempted. Conspiracy theorists will blame the referees, and they might have a case, but the bigger issue is likely due to Villanova's interior defense. Penetrating guards are able to get to the basket, and Nova's undersized front court has no option but to foul them. Ashton Gibbs got to the line 12 times, and scored 21 points. Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson had a field day in the paint in the game before. Villanova would love for Mouphtaou Yarou to step up and be a defensive stopper in the paint, but judging by his minutes in the Pitt game (1), Jay Wright doesn't believe he is ready to fulfill that role yet. For now, Nova will have to execute better help defense to prevent opposing guards from getting to the basket.
Scottie Reynolds scored 20 points and Corey Fisher scored 12, but no other Villanova player scored in double figures. Scottie and Fish have been the team's best players all season, and they have played great even in Nova's losses. For the team to win Nova needs another another player to step up offensively. Antonio Pena has been the Cats' number three scorer recently, and he had another solid game against Pitt with 8 points and 9 rebounds, but you can't expect him to score much more than 10 points a game. Maalik Wayns, Taylor King, Corey Stokes, and Reggie Redding were consistently lighting up the scoreboard at different points earlier in the season, but they have all struggled lately. Taylor King has failed to score in double figures for 10 straight games. His 3-point shot has been off, which may be the result of tired legs. The 6'6 King has been forced to play out of position at power forward against players much bigger and stronger, yet he has held his own on the boards (5.8 rpg). After missing the first ten games of the season due to suspension, Reggie Redding returned with a vengeance, scoring 10+ in 6 of his first 7 games, all wins, but he hasn't scored 10+ points since. Redding was never a big scorer, so it may have been unrealistic to expect him to keep up that pace. Redding also expends a lot of energy on the other end of the floor guarding the opposing team's best scorer. Corey Stokes has been the most wildly inconsistent scorer on the team all season. He scored 20 points in the first game of the season, then scored 1 point in the third game, and he has scored everywhere in between since. Stokes, the team's top 3-point threat, has shot just 28% from long range in Nova's losses. Big East Freshman of the year candidate Maalik Wayns may be the biggest offensive x-factor for Villanova. Wayns is averaging 10 points per game in Big East wins, but just 5 points in Big East losses. Wayns' minutes have been jerked around a bit lately, (16 vs. Georgetown, 3 vs. West Virginia, 14 vs. Providence, 7 vs. UConn, 15 vs. Pitt) which may be effecting his confidence. The bottom line is as good as Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher may be, they need some help from one of these players for the team to win.
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.
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.
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."
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.
Player of the Game: Reggie Redding - 18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 10-10 FT
Recap: Nova trailed by 5 at the half, but came back to beat #3 Pitt by 10 for their first win of the year over a ranked opponent.
All Aboard the Reggie Redding Bandwagon... ("Redding" the font in honor of Reggie) Redding played his best game as a Wildcat, offensively at least, scoring a career-high 18 points. He did a bit of everything, grabbing 7 boards, dishing a couple assists, steals, and bringing it on the defensive end. We've come to expect that from Redding, but he had a breakout night offensively, excelling at driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line, where he was a perfect 10 for 10. Jay Wright has called Reggie his smartest player and best defender, and if he can continue to score like this he could become one of Jay's best all-around players.
"Drop Down and Give Me 15"... ... Points that is. Dante once again delivered the type of game Nova fans have come to expect from him this season. Cunningham avoided the fouls that plagued him the last two games to score 15 and grab 5. Does Nova have a legit shot-blocking presence? Dante has blocked 2+ shots for 4 straight games, and has had at least 1 for 8 straight. Rebound Machine - "Target in Sight"... Shane Clark may not have scored, but he was a beast on the boards, grabbing 7, including a game-high 4 offensive rebounds. He helped Nova out-rebound one of the best rebounding teams in the country 19-16 in the second half.
Two Coreys, One Goal... The Coreys provided some valuable energy and scoring off the bench. Fisher had 9 points and Stokes added 6.
"You Shall Not Score" Dwayne Anderson flat out brings it every night, on both ends of the floor. His stats usually aren't eye-popping (7 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), but he'll do anything to help the team win... even if it means pulling a guy's arm off and closelining him in the neck.
"Will Somebody Get on #1" Scottie Reynolds had a rough first half, going 0-5 from the field, but he bounced back in the 2nd to score 10 points and hit two big 3-pointers. As Dickie V would say, he's a PTP'er, a prime-time player; he steps up when it matters most.
"Not only are we beating Pitt... We're beating Cincinnati, and Providence, and Syracuse, and Marquette, and we're beating West Virginia, and Rutgers, and DePaul, and Georgetown, and Notre Dame, and then we're going back to Detroit to take back the National Title! Yeeeeaaahhhh!!!!"
Recent History: Villanova and Pittsburgh seem to always play each other tough and the series record reflects that, with Nova holding a slight 30-27 edge. Last season these teams played each other twice and the home team won both times to split the season series. Nova edged out Pitt in the first game 64-63 at the Pavilion, led by Malcolm Grant's 22 points. The second contest was a little more lopsided, with Pitt winning 69-57, and Nova was led by Scottie Reynolds' 26 points. DeJuan Blair had a double-double in both games and dominated the boards (15 and 14 rebounds). Pitt went on to win the Big East Tournament and earned a 4-seed in the NCAAs, losing to Michigan State in the second round. The Panthers lost a few seniors (Mike Cook, Keith Benjamin, Ronald Ramon), but the main difference from this year's squad is the return of super-senior Levance Fields. Fields is a point guard in the truest sense, averaging 6.9 assists to 1.9 turnovers, and he really makes the offense go. Sam Young leads the team in scoring at 18.8 per game, and Blair is averaging a double-double (14.7 pts and 12.7 reb).
Best Win:78-60 vs. then #8 Syracuse
Worst Only Loss: 69-63 @ then #20 Louisville
Famous Alumni: Mike Ditka, Larry Fitzgerald, Aaron Gray, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin, Marty Schottenheimer, Mark Blount
Fun Facts:
Pitt has reach the championship game of the Big East Tournament seven of the past eight years.
Pitt has made the NCAA Tournament seven straight years.
Earlier this season Pitt was ranked #1 nationally for the first time in school history.
Complimentary Video Clip:
Final Verdict: Pitt presents a tough test for Villanova. Antonio Pena and Dante Cunningham need to stay in the game to battle DeJuan Blair on the boards. Scottie Reynolds needs to look to score aggressively. I'm still waiting for that breakout game from Corey Stokes in Big East play... this would be a conveinvent time. Villanova is still looking for that stand-out victory, and a win here would do wonders for their tournament resume. I see this one being close and low scoring, like the Louisville game, but unlike then, hopefully Nova can pull out a win at the end of this one.
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.
Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds, 26 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast
Recap: Villanova lost its third game in a row for the first time since the 2003-2004 season when they dropped five straight. Once again Villanova started out flat and fell behind quickly, but their defense kept them in the game, and they cut the deficit to six at halftime. The Wildcats led by Scottie Reynolds took a one point lead around the 13 minute mark in the second half, but then Pitt went on a 24-8 run to grab the victory. Jay Wright showed the willingness to switch up his rotation by benching Shane Clark for most of the game, only playing 3 minutes. However, Dwayne Anderson took most of his minutes, instead of Malcolm Grant. The continued lack of playing time for Grant has been the most frustrating part of this losing streak. The Wildcats are undefeated (7-0) in games that Grant has played 19 or more minutes. Tonight Malcolm only played 8 minutes, most of those coming at the end of the game when it was too late to come back anyway. I can understand Jay wanting to go with a bigger lineup that is better defensively, but clearly that is not working. So why not say the heck with it and throw Reynolds, Fisher, and Grant out on the floor together. It would be one thing if they were losing close games, but they way they have been getting blown out recently, it is apparent that major changes are needed, and I think it starts with Malcolm Grant getting the playing time he deserves.
Scottie Reynolds had a strong game scoring 26 points on 9-15 shooting, but he didn't get much help. The only other Wildcat in double figures was Antonio Pena who had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, but he was a miserable 4-15 from the field. Reynolds shot 60% from the floor, but the rest of the team shot 29% for the game. Corey Stokes has had a couple of good shooting nights, but was 0-5 tonight and is shooting 25.5% from three for the season. Grant should be playing more for several reasons, but mostly because of his 3-point shooting. At 53.2% he is by far our most accurate shooter from behind the arc. Neither Dwayne Anderson, Reggie Redding, or Stokes contributed much offensively, but neither did Corey Fisher and Dante Cunningham who both average 10+ points per game. It was a good sign to see Casiem Drummond back in action, but I still don't think he's back to 100%. He looked soft going up to the basket getting his lay-up blocked, when he should up went up strong and dunked the ball.
On a side note I half to congratulate Tyrell Biggs on a game well-played. He is from my hometown of Nanuet, NY and I played with him in Little League and CYO basketball at St. Anthony's. He had 14 points and 4 rebounds in tonight's game. He was dominant back then, it's good to see him playing well in the Big East.
Next Game: Sat. Feb. 2 at Noon, vs. Syracuse, at the Wachovia Center
Score: Villanova 64, Pitt 63 Player of the Game: Malcolm Grant 22 pts, 4-7 3-pt
Recap: Villanova overcame Pittsburgh by one point in a thriller at the Pavilion behind Malcolm Grant's stellar performance. Grant took over, remenisicent of the LSU game. He led all scorers with 22 points, hitting big shot after big shot. He brings so much energy and seems to really feed off of the crowd. When the fans were cheering the loudest, he came through by making a big 3-pointer. From this and the LSU game it is clear that Grant is a clutch performer and flat-out winner, which begs questions about Corey Fisher. Fisher had only 4 points and 1 assist against Pitt and only had 2 points against LSU, while his best games have come in Villanova losses: 21 points vs. NC St. and 23 points vs. DePaul. It may be too early to tell, but I hope Fisher isn't one of those players who puts up great stats, but can't lead his team to victory.
In the end turnovers were the cause of Pitt's downfall. They had 22 turnovers in the game, which was due in a lagre part to the injury of point guard Levance Fields. No Villanova starter scored in double figures, and the continued struggles of Scottie Reynolds are somewhat puzzling. Reynolds was held to 4 points on 1-6 shooting (0-5 3-pt), although he did have 4 assists, and made the pass to Dante Cunningham which led to the foul call and the winning free throws. Reynolds seems to have lost some confidence shooting the ball. He seemed to hesitate and pump fake the ball way too many times, instead of trusting his stroke and releasing quickly. I'm sure he'll grow out of this funk, but let's just hope it's sooner than later. Dante Cunningham stayed calm under pressure to make the tying and winning free throws. He had a quiet offensive night with only 6 points, but he cleaned up the glass with a team high 9 rebounds. Once again the absence of Casiem Drummond was felt, as the Wildcats had difficulty in containing DeJuan Blair who finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, 7 of them offensive. Antonio Pena stepped up in a big way scoring 12 points off the bench, and was the only other Villanova player to score in double figures. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 steals, including the big steal in the final seconds to secure victory. Pena may have earned himself more playing time, especially with the continued struggles of Shane Clark who had 7 points, 3 rebounds in the game. I though he deserved it after the LSU game, but now Malcolm Grant will definitely see more minutes. He is the team's best 3-point shooter at 55%. He probably won't start, but will be a key sixth man because of the energy and scoring he brings into the game.
Villanova ended their regular season on a sour note, losing their fourth-straight game to Pittsburgh, 60-50. They finished 10th in the Big East and now find themselves in the unanticipated position of having to play in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday. The Wildcats have also fallen out of the Top-25 for the first time this season. I hate to make excuses, but-- wait that’s not true, I love making excuses. Here they are:
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